The Road Taken
by Chandramas
Summary: What if someone helped Veronica that night at Shelly's party? How a simply gesture could change everything.
1. Chapter 1

I wrote this story in May 2007, but I never published it. Contrary to what it could look in Chapter 1 it's not a Ghost story, but this first chapter help me to set up the whole story.

The whole story is divided in two "books" this is the first one, it's 15 chapters long.

Thanks to TracyBrooke who volunteer to be my beta!

Disclamer: I don't own the characters, I'm just playing with them.

(and I won't tell this every chapter, if you read a story usually you read chapter 1 first, so you know this already. )

Also - last one I promise, if you can take time to review, it's very important, especially for people who write in a language that it's not your native one. Thanks!

- NOTE: I'm re-posting this because the amazing JasterLady send me new correction. And Betas are like TV-show, you never have enough!

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"_Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything."_

_(Katharine_ _Hepburn)_

**The Road Taken** **- book 1**

**_Lilly Kane was my best friend. She was brutally murdered last October. Today marks one year since her death, and her killer still has not paid. There is someone in jail for this crime, and I know for sure he's innocent. But that is a story I'll tell you another time. So, I'll start again._**

**_Lilly Kane was my best friend. Losing her was like losing a sister. Her death destroyed my world. I lost everything. My father was the sheriff, and he was sure that the Kanes were somehow involved in Lilly's death, and for this and some false proofs, he lost his job. Consequently, we lost our house and our social status. My mother's alcohol addiction worsened, and, one day she took off. At school, people started to avoid me on my lucky days, and torture me the rest of the time. Duncan, my former boyfriend and Lilly's "perfect" brother, started to hate me (but he was_****already****_ignoring me for no reason even when Lilly was alive). And then there's Logan_** **_Echolls: my former friend and Lilly's boyfriend. He became my nightmare. So, I thought I lost everything, everyone... I thought nothing could be worse. I thought wrong._**

**_It was the party at Shelly Pomroy's. I already had a very bad year, but I decided to go to the party anyway, even knowing they didn't want me there at all. But I wanted to demonstrate that I couldn't care less. And there I was wrong again. I wasn't strong enough to watch Duncan_** **_making out with a girl I didn't recognize from school. I felt like I was stabbed in the chest. I turned to see Logan_** **_watching my pain and enjoying every second of it, before turning back to kiss his own date._**

**_It was too much. I wanted to leave, but I had to walk back through the whole school population before I could reach the door. During this "pleasant" promenade I found myself with a Coke & rum in my hand. No idea who gave me that. And I did the most idiotic thing I could do: I drank it all. And I don't remember much of the next few hours. How long had I blacked out? No idea. I remember crashing on a lounge chair near the pool, and nothing more._**

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**_oooOOOooo_**

Logan leaned the girl he was kissing against his new X-Terra; not a classy car, to be sure, but he definitely wasn't going unnoticed. "Come on, let's quit these losers and do something … more fun, just the two of us…"

"Mmm… Sounds good… Any idea what?" Cindy leaned against him.

"What about my pool? It's right next to the pool house, which has a very big bed."

She laughed. "I like the sound of that."

"Then let's go." He moved quickly toward the driver side and opened the door, but before he could hop in, something stopped him.

"Hey, lover boy… aren't you in too much of a hurry?"

**_oOo_**

Logan froze. ***_That voice*_**_._ He turned abruptly.

"Who's there?"

"Uh… me?" Cindy answered.

Her reply went unnoticed when the voice continued. "You've already forgotten me. And I thought you cared." A new girl came into sight, a fake pout on her face.

Lilly, his beloved dead girlfriend was there, right in front of him, and she seemed so real, almost touchable. "I do! I care for you too much."

"Logan, who are you speaking to?" Cindy came around the car, staring at him intently.

He didn't bother to answer her. Instead, he turned toward the vision before him. "Lilly, I care. I swear I do!" he repeated.

"Yeah, that's why you're here kissing this worthless girl? I mean, where has your style gone? Was it killed with me?"

"Lilly… please… I still love you so…." he whispered into the dark.

"Logan?" Cindy's voice rose, tremulous with a beginning panic.

"I know you did… but you hurt me so much…. You deceived me… you betrayed me." Lilly spoke slowly, pain in her voice.

"Just one kiss, I swear," he pleaded.

"You want another kiss? Ah, bad boy!" Cindy laughed, thinking that he must have said that last bit to her.

"I wasn't talking about sex, stupid! You betrayed me. You lied to me; I thought you cared."

His voice was croaky when he replied. "I do!"

Cindy walked toward him, but Logan didn't even notice.

Lilly bent her head doubtfully. "You do?"

"Yes, of course I do."

Cindy moved toward him, but he pushed her away roughly.

"Hey!" she protested.

"Then what are you doing here?" Lilly asked, sighing as she pointed to the other girl.

"I'm sorry. She doesn't mean anything, I swear."

"She who? Logan! What's wrong with you?!" Cindy snapped.

"I'm not talking about this 'I have fake boobs look at them' bitch!" Lilly stared at him. "I can't understand how you could forget so easily."

"I remember everything."

"Everything?"

Cindy's initial worry was slowly fading, replaced by irritation. She folded her arms and glared at Logan, snapping, "Everything, what?

"Every _thing_, every detail, " Logan continued, ignoring Cindy entirely.

"Logan Echolls, I WANT an explanation! What are you blabbing about?" Cindy interjected, stamping her foot like a petulant child.

"I wouldn't call Veronica a detail." Lilly answered casually.

"Veronica?" came Logan's startled response.

"_You_What!? Veronica Mars? That _slut_?" Cindy exclaimed, throwing her arms wide in exasperation.

Again Lilly was looking at him. "Veronica, blond hair_,_a little on the short side, sweet smile, sweet eyes, too good for this world?"

"I know who Veronica is!" he cried.

"You let her down," she accused.

"She thinks your father killed you," Logan yelled, railing against the ghost.

"Are you crazy?! I'm pretty alive if you hadn't noticed!" Again Cindy moved in front of Logan, and he pushed her away.

Lilly's eyes burned with rage. '**_How could a dead person have eyes so full of life?'_** Logan wondered.

"Details!" Lilly went on angrily. "She fights, and please notice the present tense 'fight' because she still does, to find who killed me!"

"We know who killed you!"

"You need to see a professional, you drunk jerk!" Cindy stomped back towards the noisy party, muttering insults about Logan and the guiltless Veronica. Logan didn't even notice her depart.

Lilly glared hotly at him and snorted indelicately. "Yeah sure, whatever."

"Lilly…" Logan began.

"You're letting Veronica down just when she needs us most."

"I couldn't care less." Logan dropped his gaze from hers.

"She's going to be hurt," Lilly admonished.

He returned his gaze to hers, eyes flashing angrily. "She deserves it!"

"No, she doesn't, and you know it. Don't use V'ronica as a punching bag," Lilly scolded, pronouncing her friends name in a way that was uniquely theirs. It struck a chord within Logan as the vision before him continued. "She is tougher than people believe, even more than I believed, but this time she needs help. Our help."

"God, Lilly, you don't understand - I need to hate her. Every time I see her, I know you're gone."

"There are other ways to deal with that. Run for her, run for me…." She trailed off, turning away as if she was leaving.

"Lilly..." Logan started, reaching for her.

She turned her face toward him again, "Logan, time is running out." The deep cut in her head started to bleed. "Be fast…" Her figure started to vanish, and he could see through her.

"Lilly don't go."

"Run!" she demanded. And then she was gone.

And he did, he ran toward the party, looking for someone he really didn't want to find.

- To Be continued in Chapter 2


	2. Chapter 2

I always thought that something was off with Shelly's party timeline, they said Logan left the party earlier with Cindy, but that he was there at the same time drinking off Veronica's body and giving the spiked drink to Duncan. I hope you don't mind too much I changed this, but, hey, it's my story, my rules! And as Richard Castle would say "Don't ruin my story with your logic!"

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Thanks everyone who took time to review! I really appreciate that! And thanks to all the people that are following this story and favorite it!

Thanks to TracyBrooke for volunteer as a Beta and JasterLady who did a huge job too! (and that's why I'm reposting it, corrected)

I am reposting this one to correct several grammar mistakes.

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**Chapter 2**

He ran inside the house where the whole 09er population was. The scene looked like every normal underage drinking party they'd had. However, Logan saw it afresh after his encounter with Lilly.

After asking several random people about Veronica's whereabouts and coming up without any credible answers, he bumped into Meg.

"It's crazy! Why do people have to be so mean to her! Ouch." She almost fell when Logan crashed into her. Cole took her arm to stabilize her.

"Hey, dude! Watch out!" Cole snapped before turning back to his girlfriend. "Are you okay, Meg?"

Meg smiled at both. "Yeah, sure." She stopped for a second, stunned by the frantic expression of the guy in front of her. "Is everything okay, Logan?"

He didn't bother to look at her as his eyes were scanning the people near them. "I'm looking for Veronica have you seen her?"

"Veronica Mars?" Meg asked, taken aback.

Logan nodded. "Have you seen her?"

Meg blushed. "Sort of… she was outside but someone took her away."

"Who? Where did he take her?"

"No idea. Try asking around… she was near the pool. I don't think she's very okay… " But before she could end her statement, he already starting pushing through people toward the back yard, hoping to find Veronica before something really bad could happen to her.

"Thanks, Echolls," Cole called after him.

Moving inside the house was very difficult. Lilly said time was running out. What if Veronica would end with her head broken and in a pool of blood too? Was that the danger Lilly talked about?

Finally, he arrived at the pool, but there was no sign of Veronica. The sight of Lilly's head bleeding was tormenting him, and he sought Veronica out with increasing panic.

Through the crowd, he spotted his friend. "Luke… Luke! Have you seen Mars?"

"Nope, but I saw Veronica's car."

"Meaning?" he asked, impatiently pushing a hand through his hair.

"Madison was writing 'love messages' on her window in the driveway. Believe me, Mars will not be happy about that. They are harsh… even for Madison. If this is the effect Liquid X gives her… Dick is gonna have serious trouble tonight."

Logan barely registered what Luke said. He was too worried to gossip about Dick's trouble.

"If you see Veronica, tell her I need to find her. It's important. Don't let her leave, okay?"

"What's wrong? You sound serious."

"You have no idea. Don't leave her alone until I get her, okay? I owe you one." Logan continued his search, he began to look like one of the characters in the video games he was so used to playing. A fool running back and forth looking for the lady in distress.

"If this is a joke, Lilly, I'm gonna kill you, " he hissed as he pushed through a throng of his classmates.

Logan was about to scream: '_**Where in the hell is Mars!'**_

He saw Cindy speaking with Madison and looking at him as if he was crazy. He moved quickly toward them.

"If you're here to apologize, you're wasting your time," Cindy spat, glowering at him.

"Not now, Cindy." He turned to Madison. "Have you seen Veronica?"

"She's probably fucking someone somewhere."

Logan closed his eyes in frustration, before repeating his question. "I need to find her. Have you seen her?"

"Well let me think - I gave her a trip to the dentist… and God knows how much she deserved it." A wicked smile spread across her face as she giggled with Cindy.

Logan cut across them. "That's gross; she never did anything to you."

"How 'bout making out with my boyfriend in front of an entire party?"

Logan looked at her as if suddenly a second head had grown from her neck. "Veronica and _Dick_? Are you joking?"

Madison looked at him as he just insulted her. "I guess I shouldn't take that personally though, huh? She pretty much made out with everyone. Ask Casey, she made out with him the moment she took her lips from Dick's."

Logan stared at her for a very long moment. Okay, something was wrong here… Veronica? With Dick? AND Casey? Was this simply a nightmare? A twisted reality? His dead girlfriend appeared and told him to save his … he had no name for Veronica. Enemy? Well she wasn't an enemy… but not a friend anymore either. He knew Veronica. Even if he was the one who spread the rumor that she was easy, (though he'd actually said she was a bitch and people understood that as a slut, and he hadn't bothered to correct them), he knew better. The Veronica he knew was virgin. And even if half of the male population at school claimed to have had at least a night stand or even a '_ten minutes_' stand with her, he was pretty sure she hadn't had anyone since Duncan broke up with her.

'_**Okay, Logan, think! Find Veronica… and Dick or Casey.'**_

Again he started to move around looking for anyone who'd seen Veronica. Now it wasn't just what Lilly said, but what people were telling him that started to worry him. Something was definitely wrong with Veronica. Not even a very drunk Veronica would kiss a couple of guys at a party. And she definitely wouldn't kiss Dick.

He sat on an empty chaise lounge, dropping his head into his hands. He needed to think. "Couldn't you give me some help Lilly?! Shit! I can't find her anywhere!"

"She was really wasted! I've never seen her so drunk in all her life! That was funny… a fitting punishment for crashing my party!" a girl crowed from nearby.

Logan jumped up and approached the group where Shelly Pomroy was holding court. "Shelly! Friend of mine… tell me something: have you seen Veronica Mars?"

"Echolls, you just missed the funniest show, boy! Mars almost made out with our Shelly!" An indistinct male voice called from behind him. He didn't even bother to check who spoke.

"She what?!"

"Yeah… we still have tequila, salt, and lemon… if you want to join us?" Shelly giggled, sidling up close to Logan.

"I have to refuse. I need to find Mars right now."

"Well, she probably won't be very useful at the moment; Duncan had to drag her away because she couldn't stand on her own."

Logan exhaled the breath he didn't know he was holding. Veronica was with Duncan. She was safe. He could try to understand what's going on, before hurrying to look for her. Maybe Lilly appeared to Duncan too.

"From what I remember, she wasn't a drinker," he said casually.

"Well…" the boy was still laughing and too drunk to sober up. "Let me tell you, Dick and Sean sort of helped her."

" 'I wanna go home'!" a girl near Shelly simpered, imitating Veronica pleading. Everyone laughed but Logan.

**'_She was pleading to go home, and they were feeding her shots? What's wrong with those people?'_** They were his friends, but he was watching them with a sense of disgust he'd never felt before for anyone but his father.

He swallowed hard and cut across their taunts. "Any idea where Duncan took her?"

"I suppose wherever they were, it was something quick. Look! He's there!" The drunk boy pointed. The entire crowd laughed again while Logan moved quickly toward his best friend.

"Thank God, someone with some brain! Did you see Lilly too? Where is she?"

Duncan regarded him as though Logan was crazy. "Are you okay, man? Do you need some water or something?" Duncan put his hands on his friend's shoulders and looked at him seriously. He spoke, trying to keep a calm tone, "Logan. Lilly is gone. Don't you remember?"

"Do you think I went mental? Of course I know she's gone, but I saw her ten minutes ago! She told me to look for Veronica, that she was in trouble."

"She was. They were forcing her to swallow shots! She was pleading to go home and they kept making her drink!"

"I just heard that!"

"Okay, this sound crazy, but did you really see Lilly?"

Logan nodded. "She's mad _at_ me for how I treat Veronica."

"She's right."

Logan shook free of his friend's grasp. "Hey _buster_, don't even try that! You're the one who has pretended she doesn't exist for almost six months! And Lilly was still alive when you started!"

"Don't mess with me! And stay away from things that you don't know about!"

The conversation was getting off track, so Logan shook his head and pressed on. "Where is she now? I have to see her."

"I left her sleeping in a guest bedroom. As soon as I find Caz and Ashley, I'm going back for her, and I'm taking them all home. She can't drive tonight."

Logan was almost ready to punch Duncan right in his nose. Instead, he spun away from his friend and pushed his way into the house.

'_**Who in the Hell was he to judge? I treated Veronica as if she was the one who killed Lilly, and, okay, that was wrong, but Duncan **_**never **_**stood up for her. Not once! No matter what people were doing or saying to her. He's not the white knight in shining armor, and he's as guilty as all the other people. Plus he broke her heart**!'_

Logan remembered the day after Duncan broke up with her. He felt sorry for her. Lilly said Veronica sobbed for days when he dumped her. That the 'not know why he decided she wasn't worthy' thing almost made her crazy. Of course when you know absolutely nothing... you always assume the worst. Maybe Lilly did know why her brother acted like that, but she never mentioned it. And her secrets died with her.

**oOo**

Logan almost ran as soon he saw Casey exit the bathroom.

"Where's Veronica?" Logan asked frantically, almost crushing him against the wall.

"Hey, chill! I don't know! It's been a while since I saw her. She's somewhere."

"Madison said you made out with her. Actually, she said you and Dick did. Why?"

"Because blaming Veronica is easier?"

"Explain now! Why would Madison say you were kissing her?"

"Listen, I like her, but I don't take advantage of a girl that can't even stand up. I'm not Dick. He kissed her even if she wasn't willing, and when he saw Madison, he pushed Veronica against me. She didn't kiss me. She barely knew I was there. Look, Logan, leave her alone, okay? At least tonight. I ask that as a favor. Something was wrong with Mars; she couldn't even stand. I thought she was drunk, but she said she wasn't, that she only drank a glass of soda, you know? I think she was telling the truth because she didn't smell like alcohol at all. And she would have to smell like alcohol for days for how drunk she seemed."

"And then?"

"She said she didn't feel well. She said she needed air. I asked if she wanted help, and I escorted her out. She said she was feeling better, and before I went inside again, I saw her collapse on the lounge chair. I thought she was going to take her time. When I checked again, she was gone."

But Logan wasn't listening to him at all. His mind was screaming. _**If she drank only one glass, and Madison gave her that one… and the GHB Dick wanted to give Madison didn't affect her at all… and Veronica was not drunk… she took the wrong glass! Crap! They gave her alcohol on top of a dose of GHB. **_"Crap, crap, crap. I have to find her!" He pushed past Casey without really seeing him as he continued his search…

_**-O-**_

And there was the guest bedroom. Only a few steps away.

He saw Dick and Sean come out the door, laughing hysterically and clapping each other on the back.

"Oh, Logan! You missed it! Beaver's face! That was funny! I never laughed so much in my whole life!" Sean howled, nearly doubled over from laughter.

"Is Veronica in there? What is she doing?"

"Oh, she isn't too awake; she won't remember this!" came Dick's reply.

"She won't remember what?"

He started whispering through his laughter, "We told Beaver he could try with Veronica! We said that he could just do it with an unconscious girl, and you should have seen his face! He seemed ready to puke!"

"Yeah, and I gave him a condom… but I don't guess he has any idea how to use it!" Sean added laughing even more.

Logan's vision blurred with red anger. "Are you out of your mind?!" he tried to cross them, but they grabbed his arms.

"Come on! It's just Beaver! You know him, he's probably in there panicking - if he didn't already fly out the window running from her."

"You're disgusting!" he moved toward the door, and he heard Veronica moan.

"You're spoiling our fun!" Dick yelled behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Guys, seriously thanks for all the people who are tracking and favorited this story!**

I am re-uploading this because I had to fix some more mistakes! Thanks JasterLady!

******* Chapter 3 ******

Veronica just mumbled something.

Inside the room, Lilly was seated on the bed with Veronica, looking on with disgust as Cassidy touched her best friend with quaking fingers. _"Veronica, can you hear me?"_ Lilly called louder.

"I wanna go home," Veronica moaned.

"I'm sorry," Cassidy whispered. "I'm sorry."

"_You want to stay here__to let__this maniac have your first time? Is that what you want?"_ Lilly's anger was growing, all this effort and no result at all. Logan was too slow, and Veronica couldn't even try to help herself.

"No, I don't want …" she was able to mumble.

"I'm sorry." Cassidy was crying, but he raised her dress and slid her panties off and tossed them to the floor.

He could hear his brother and Sean laugh out the door. They guessed he wasn't able to… to ... they would see! They would have the proof that he was a man.

He unbuckled his jeans and slipped them down his own legs with his boxers.

He bent between Veronica legs, touching them with his trembling hands.

"_Veronica,__I need you to ask for my help, or__else I can't help you,"_ Lilly shouted.

"Help me, Lilly, please!" Tears rolled down her cheeks from beneath her closed eyelids.

"I'm sorry," Cassidy was mumbling without rest.

oOo

Logan heard Veronica's voice distinctly through the door, "I don't wanna…. Help me, Lilly, please!" and he forced his way into the bedroom.

Beaver was pressing his body over Veronica on the bed. He tentatively watched her sleeping face as he roughly spread her thighs apart. Logan hauled him away by the scruff of his shirt, tossing him to the floor. Even as Dick was complaining from the hallway about Logan ruining his brother's fun, Logan was smashing his fist into the younger boy's face.

"You bastard! I'm gonna kill you! What you're doing to her! You bastard! You fucking…"

oOo

Dick and Sean ran back in the room trying to stop his fury, yelling at him to stop. They tried to pull him away from Beaver, but he shook free of them.

People were starting to gather in the hallway, attracted by the noise and the yelling.

"He was raping her! That fucking bastard was raping her!" Logan's voice trembled with rage as he pointed an accusatory finger toward Beaver.

The buzz of rumors started up among the onlookers. A girl, who was near the door when they started to yell, bent to check on Veronica. Her naked legs and her tear-stained face were evidence enough that Veronica hadn't agreed to Beaver's advances. The girl moved toward her and covered Veronica with her dress, and with a mutual gaze of agreement, her boyfriend closed the door, keeping himself between all the people trying to get in.

"It's okay. It's over," she whispered to a still-unconscious Veronica.

Lilly smiled sweetly. _"I have to go.__I did what I had to."_

"Lilly… don't…"

"_It's okay.__I'm fine now,__and you are too. He'll take care of you now, and you won't be alone anymore."_

"Lilly…" she pleaded, beginning to cry once more.

"_I trust you to find the one who did this to me… to give me peace."_

She nodded, unable to speak.

"_You're safe now."_ Lilly kissed Veronica's forehead and vanished.

"Lilly..." she breathed.

Logan stopped pummeling Cassidy the moment he heard Veronica whisper Lilly's name.

He moved toward Veronica, and the girl who was trying to calm her down moved away.

"Hey, it's me… everything is okay now. I'm here."

Dick helped his brother fasten his jeans and helped him to stand up, but Cassady was too beaten up to be able to walk. Dick needed Sean's help to carry him out of the room.

Logan turned toward Dick as he tried to escape the scene. "If I see him again near Veronica again, I'm gonna kill him." His voice trembled with rage so badly that he almost wasn't able to end.

"He will be good, I promise," Dick muttered, walking out without finding a way to apologize.

Logan caressed Veronica's tears away. "I'm here now, Ronny. Don't worry."

The girl who was standing near the bed moved away, but he grabbed her arm. "Please could you…" he trailed off, pointing to the underwear on the floor.

"Sure," she sniffed; tears were streaming down her face too.

"I'll wait for you outside while…" he moved toward the closed door, but didn't cross the threshold. "Do you think I was in time?" Logan asked, as he looked at his bleeding fist. Strange, he didn't notice the pain even though he was staring at the damage.

"Yeah, I think you were just in time." She was fast in giving Veronica her dignity back. "I'm done," she whispered to Logan, who never had the heart to leave the room.

Again he walked to the bed. "Veronica, can you hear me?" She didn't answer or move. "We can go home now. " He took her into his arms. The girl opened the door for him, and her boyfriend made room between the onlookers who still were outside the door, anxious to have new gossip about Veronica Mars.

**oOo**

People were shocked to see the King of the 09ers walking through the house, protectively holding an unconscious Veronica Mars in his arms, killing every person who dared to whisper anything with a glare.

Duncan ran after him. "What's wrong?"

"You were wrong. She wasn't safe," he said glacially, without stopping.

"I saw Beaver… what…"

Logan cut across his question. "He should be thankful I'm not my father or he would be dead right now."

"I can drive Veronica home."

"No. I'm taking her to my place."

"But…"

"What else I can do? Leave her at her parents' place with a 'Hey, Mr. Mars, here's your daughter. She was drugged and fed shots to oblivion so my young friend Beaver could rape her.' Could I?"

"He did WHAT?!"

"I arrived before he…" he stopped, unable to finish. "Open the car door," Logan ordered calmly.

He carefully let Veronica sleep on the seat and then fastened the safety belt on her. The task was painful as his knuckles were still bleeding, and he could see the stain of his blood on Veronica's white dress. "It's okay, I'm driving you home," he whispered to her and closed the door.

"Do you need help?" Duncan offered, hovering close by and trying to peer around his friend to Veronica's prone form.

He gave Duncan a faint smile before climbing into his truck. "No, we're fine now." And he drove away.

oOo

Logan restrained himself roughly when he saw Veronica's car. He stopped and went to read it closely, even if the size of the writing didn't make it too difficult to read even from a distance. '**ABEL, it should've been HER'** and '**_SLUT_****'** with an arrow, that pointed to a large circle over the driver seat, were scrawled on her windows. He thought seriously for a moment about going back and teaching Madison the same lesson he did to Beaver. But the last thing Veronica needed at this moment was to go back in that house, so he drove away, trying to recover from all the rage he was feeling.

His hand was hurting like hell. Strange, it wasn't the first time he punched someone, but the pain in his knuckles made him angrier instead of calming him.

He drove toward his place, and he was glad that his parents were home . Not a very common feeling, but he knew he wouldn't be able to deal with Veronica on his own. He needed to know that someone would help him if he broke down, and he was unsure of how to proceed. As it was, the war of emotions going on inside of him had him unsteady on his feet. He felt lost. He felt sick of himself. He felt angry. He hated himself because he'd needed Lilly to warn him that Veronica was in danger. And, worst of all, he didn't know how he felt about Veronica.

He checked that Veronica wasn't going to wake up, and he raced into his house, knocking furiously at his parents' door. With every knock, he lost his composure a little bit more. He simply lost it. He was at a loss to explain what an asshole he'd been since the day Lilly died, and how reckless his friends were. How people hated Veronica, and how that was all his fault.

"What in the hell?" he heard Aaron cry from inside. His father opened the door, irritation written across his features. "This better be important."

"I need Mom. Something happened… I can't take her to her parents. But I guess she needs a woman. I can't do that… She can't to go home like that… her father. Beaver…. he tried…." Logan's words were jumbled and spilling forth in a wild torrent, one hand pushing through his hair and across his forehead anxiously as the other gestured.

"Son, calm down," Aaron said, placing a hand on Logan's shoulder. Logan shrugged out from under his grip when he saw his mother walking toward the door.

"She's in the car… I don't know where else I..." Logan was already turning to lead his mom back to his truck.

"God, Logan, your hands!" Lynn moved toward her son, but he stepped back out of her reach.

He smirked. "You should see Beaver's face. That fucking bastard…"

"Logan! Language!" Aaron warned, but Logan wasn't listening.

"I need to check on her." Logan turned, walking slowly toward the stairs.

"Logan who is 'her'… and where is she?" Lynn asked, hurrying after her son.

"Veronica, she's still in my car."

"Go downstairs; we're right behind you." Lynn didn't even bother to dress herself; she simply slipped on her husband's bathrobe and ran down the stairs barefoot.

ooOoo

When Lynn and Aaron caught up to Logan outside, he was carefully unfastening Veronica's safety belt, and whispering "We're home, you're safe now." Even though the situation obviously demanded attention, Lynn paused to watch her son handle Veronica so gently.

"I'll take her, Son, your hand needs to be disinfected." Aaron walked toward the car, but Logan didn't move.

"No," he growled. "She's my responsibility now. I can do that. I have to do that. At least that…"

Lynn brushed her husband's arms, smiling broadly at Logan.

"Bring her into the guest room, and then you can tell us what happened. In the meantime, we can get dressed."

Logan nodded, scooping Veronica's small form up and heading for the house.

As Aaron watched his son enter the house with the girl, he turned to his wife. "What did he ask our help for if he…"

Lynn cut him off with a reproving glance. "Aaron, _he needed_ to help her. Don't you get it? He has to be sure she's okay, and, believe me, with the way he's been treating her lately, it's a miracle."

"He was so bad?"

"You have no idea. I had forbidden him and his friends to talk about Veronica in the house because I wouldn't tolerate the way they spoke about her. They were ugly and offensive. I hoped sooner or later they would stop, but they didn't. Until now."

"Why didn't I know about that?"

"And what would you have done? Beat him until he changed his mind about Veronica?" With that, she turned on her heel and went after her son.

**ooOOoo**

Lynn helped Veronica slip out the dress, and she made her wear one of Logan's shirts. She laid the dress carefully on a chair near the bed and placed Veronica's shoes under it. She caressed the girl's face before leaving the room, without closing the door.

"Can I go in now?" Logan asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet, and anxiously looking over Lynn's shoulder as if to reassure himself that Veronica was indeed back there.

"No, Logan, we deserve an explanation," Aaron demanded. "She got too drunk? You woke us up in the middle of the night because your friend was too drunk to go back home? We were worried something bad had happened!"

"And it did! She wasn't drunk! She was drugged. Also they fed her shots! And then Beaver..." Logan faltered in the middle of his tirade as the memory of Beaver's body on Veronica's shot across his mind. "Dick and Sean wanted to make fun of him... but he tried to… they were already… you know… ready…. Well, he was ready… Veronica was already out, like she is now…"

"So you and Beaver fought," his mother asked.

"Actually Beaver was too worried about trying to slip back into his pants for a real fight. But I guess he will have some trouble recognizing himself in the mirror for a very long while."

Aaron jumped in again, "Why didn't you call the police?"

"Dad, you are talking about Veronica here! People would say that she was the drunk one who was trying to rape Beaver! Do you have any idea what people think about her? They will eat her alive. That's why I couldn't take her to her father." Logan paced back and forth toward the guest room. "I have to fix her windshield before her or her father finds out about that."

"They broke her windshield too? What sort of people are you hanging out with?!"

"No, but there is an arrow pointing to the slut who drives it and a very lovely Abel it should've been her" written on the back window," Logan explained, flexing his hurt fist at the memory. Lynn gasped.

"I'll take care of that, don't worry, son." Aaron grabbed the phone and made a call. "Yeah, you can find the car there… it's a …" he paused, looking toward Logan for help. "Le Baron, a black one."

"Yeah you should replace the Windshield, and by tomorrow. I'll pay you an additional five grand if you do the job by tomorrow morning."

Logan stared at his father for a very long moment. For the first time in his life, he was grateful to his father. For the first time, he didn't see the man knocking him unconscious or wielding a belt. "Thanks, Dad, I won't forget that."

"Tonight you acted like a real man. I'm proud of you, son."

Logan was able to nod before entering in Veronica's room.


	4. Chapter 4

**First things first:**

**Thanks to TracyBrooke for editing! **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed - especially Angel, Nichole and Suzanne, because I couldn't answer their reviews.**

**I know that Veronica in this chapter is sort of OOC, but this isn't the same Veronica we knew from the TV-show, she never was raped, she never had to face Lamb laughing at her face, she didn't went months wondering what happen, facing the fear of having some nasty picture of her spread around, doubting of everyone. She's is still a sweet version of Veronica, who's starting just now to know her own strength.**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**PS. I'm reposting this because JasterLady found a lot of mistakes! So I'm fixing as much grammar errors I can!**

******* Chapter 4 ******

**_Veronica V.O.: 'There_****_are_** **_a lot of things_** **_that can scare you,_** **_but believe me, waking up in a place you don't know, feeling like your brain was smashed in the night,_****_and_** **_wearing a t-shirt too big_****_to be_** **_yours, when_****_the_** **_last thing you remember was standing_** **_in a party drinking your soda_**, **_can scare you a lot.'_**

Veronica rubbed her face before stretching. "Oh gosh, my head," she moaned before slowly opening her eyes. She looked around: nothing was vaguely familiar in the semi-dark room.

She looked down at the shirt she had on; it too was unfamiliar. She saw her dress on a chair, stretched to reach it, and covered herself with it as if she was naked. There was something on it… a spot, a tiny ruby red stain around what should be her waist. Slowly moving the sheets she was covered by, she looked at her exposed legs, and she could see some marks on her thighs.

Tears filled her eyes, and she started to tremble violently, rocking herself back and forth. Veronica Mars, the biggest slut at Neptune, _did_ lose her virginity, and she didn't even remember how.

"Oh crap!" A male voice nearby made her jump.

Her sight was blurred by tears. She felt strong arms around her, and she trembled even more. "I didn't mean for you to wake up alone… I just went... you know… nature calls. Sorry."

Veronica saw his face appear beyond her tears as he wiped her face and whispered things to her that she was having difficulty understanding.

"Logan?" _Had__she__slept__with Logan Echolls?_"I don't remember…"

He nodded. "That's good."

"I don't remember!" Veronica persisted. Her hand tightened around her dress.

"It's okay, nothing happened." That was a lie and he knew that it was, so he amended, "Nothing major happened, Ronnie."

'_Ronnie?'_ It seemed like centuries that someone had called her that.

"Why don't I remember?" she pleaded. "What happened to me?"

He was caressing her head, whispering that everything was all right now. She retracted herself from his embrace. "Please, Logan, I need to know!"

"Why don't you try to calm yourself and then we'll talk about that. Here, have a drink… Damnit, I knew I forgot something." He stood up, feeling like a rat at the idea of leaving her there without any answer. "I'll be right back with some water and then we'll talk. Okay?"

Veronica stared at him while he moved slowly toward the door. As soon he exited the room, she heard his steps run away. She couldn't stop trembling.

Logan Echolls.

He couldn't be her first. Tears again escaped without any barriers. That was too much. She couldn't believe she'd slept with Logan. He was Lilly's. Did she betray her best friend?

"_I'm dead, silly!_" She could almost hear Lilly's voice mocking her.

She rocked herself back and forth, having problems breathing.

And then again Logan was at the door, carrying a bottle of water and a glass. He poured the water for her, and then he gave her the glass.

Veronica's hand shook so violently that it was impossible for her to drink; she vainly tried to use the other hand to stop the trembling. She closed her eyes with embarrassment. Being so broken in front of Logan! All the school was going to laugh at her so badly. She even wondered if he took pictures of her being unconscious, just in order to make the rumor about her being completely spoiled more accurate. That thought made her shake even more, and tears rolled down her cheeks again.

She felt Logan's hand take the glass and his body move around her, hugging her. And then felt the glass against her lips.

"Slowly, drink slowly. I'm here, don't cry. Everything is okay now."

She tried to understand the reason why Logan Echolls' presence should calm her down. But she drank anyway.

Veronica could hear him whisper "Good girl" into her ear when she sipped the water. He stayed in that position until her sobs subsided.

"Better?" he asked quietly.

She didn't answer. "We… did …" She couldn't say that. Not to Logan. "It was you? The one…"

"Do you remember anything?"

"I remember I saw Duncan kissing a girl. I remember..." her voice trembled, but she pressed on. "You." She moved her eyes away from his.

'_Wonderful. The last thing she remembers is me being an asshole and having fun at her expense._' Logan silently coursed himself.

"And then … I don't know."

He spoke slowly, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "You had quite a night. You had some Liquid X, but it was supposed to be for someone else."

Veronica sniffed and her breath trembled. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

A faint smile appeared on Logan's lips "Good question."

"Logan?" She blushed deeply as she continued, "Did we…" She vaguely gestured to the bed without daring to look at his eyes.

He was taken aback by her question, but he responded immediately. "No!"

"But the dress…" Her voice trembled with guilt.

"My mother changed you while I waited outside. We thought you would be more comfy."

She stared at him long before speaking. "But we…" she trailed off again, and she blushed without being able to return his gaze.

"No. I swear: nothing happened with us," he reassured, even if part of him was affected by the mix of fear, disgust, and shame Veronica's face showed at the idea of having slept with him.

She closed her eyes as she went on. "And who was? I mean the one I … slept with."

Logan frowned. "I thought you didn't remember?"

He barely heard her whispered answer. "I don't."

Her eyes again filled with tears, but she refused to let Logan see her crying more. She needed to be strong. When she looked at him again, he seemed confused, and she realized he wasn't going to add anything.

"I… I have bruises on my legs that I didn't have yesterday," she explained quietly "And there… there is blood on my dress… that must mean…" again her voice trembled violently, and she broke off.

'_Crap,__I was right... she is still_a _virgin! Beaver was going to…_'

Veronica felt him tense, and as she looked at him, she started to tremble again. If Logan was so tense, whatever he had to say wasn't going to be a good thing.

Then suddenly he smiled and stroked her face. "That," he said pointing to the dress "Is mine. Not the dress, of course," he tried to joke, "But the blood. See?" He showed her his right fist, all wrapped in fresh bandages.

"I was still bleeding when I fastened your safety belt. So you're still…" he paused a second to find the correct word but none seemed right. "Okay."

Veronica breathed again, covering her mouth in relief. "Oh God!" She half-smiled at him gratefully. She breathed a couple of times, relieved, and then she darkened again. "Then why the marks?"

Logan breathed deeply a couple of time. "Why don't we leave that with a 'you're safe now and nothing happened'?"

"I have to know, Logan, please!"

"Are you sure you want to know the whole thing?"

She nodded.

And again, for what seemed to him the billionth time he'd repeated it, he told her about the shots, about her kissing Dick and the whole Beaver incident.

She clapped her hand over her mouth, her stomach twisted. Logan understood and practically dragged her to the toilet.

He knelt next to her, holding her long hair without knowing what he could do to help her to feel better while she emptied her stomach.

The young boy helped her to move next to the sink where she refreshed herself.

"What did I do wrong?" she whispered. "Why?"

Logan forced her to meet his eyes. "I'm not going to let you blame yourself! Understood? It's not your fault!"

There was a very long silence, not an unpleasant one, but a needed one.

Veronica needed to face what happened to her, and having Logan there as if nothing had happened between them after Lilly's death helped.

In the silence, Logan looked at her. He was ashamed of himself; his former best friend's life was spoiled thanks to him.

"I wish Lilly could be here," she whispered after a long while.

"I know."

"I hate the world without her."

"Me too," Logan replied, before pausing. Should he tell Veronica the real reason why he helped? Would that help her to feel better? "But I know she's watching us."

Veronica almost smiled at the naivety of Logan's statement. She breathed deeply. "She would hate me."

"Never!"

"She would say that I'm weak. That I didn't deserve to be her friend."

Logan made her turn toward the sink again. He pointed the reflected girl in the mirror. "Lilly would say she's proud you still fight for her. She would say you're tougher than she thought, because you were able to be yourself even against the whole school. Because you fought to find her killer, no matter the price you had to pay. You've given all you have looking for the truth. She would be proud. Believe me."

"Why are you so…" _Kind? Gentle? Sure?_ "Not-Logan?"

He laughed. "Maybe I'm tired of being an asshole. Or maybe I miss my friend."

"Yeah, I miss her too."

"I wasn't talking about Lilly." He gave her a new toothbrush, and some towels. "Take your time; take a shower, have a bath, whatever. Make yourself at home. I'll ask Mom if she has something you can wear. Sorry about the dress."

"I… I guess I'll burn it anyway."

"That's a shame. You were pretty in it." With that, he left.


	5. Chapter 5

**Re-uploading it for fixing some grammar mistake.**

*****Chapter 5 *****

Logan knocked at his mother's opened door.

Lynn covered the lack of sleep on her face with make-up, but it couldn't hide the worried look she'd had since the night before. "How is she?" She watched her son's reflection on her vanity mirror. All the usual bravery he so often showed off was gone, and he was there, walking slowly into her room without being able to look at her, his gaze on the floor.

"She's showering. I think it would have been worse if I hadn't looked for her." Logan's voice was small; Lynn could hear his guilt even though he was speaking under his breath. "She needs something to wear to go home."

Lynn gave her son a sympathetic smile, caressed his shoulder, and gave him a light push toward her wardrobe. "This is hard for you too, isn't it?"

"It's my fault if they act like … jerks to her. I led them. They all hate Veronica just because _I_ hate her."

"_Do_ you really hate her?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think this could fit Veronica?" she asked, holding up a teal sweater. Logan's grimace gave her the answer, she dug for something else. "You seemed to care about her last night," she added vaguely.

Logan noticed his mother was trying to be casual, but he knew she had a point to make very clear in her mind.

"I had to. Lilly made me care. She's upset with me for letting Veronica down."

Lynn watched her son. It was the first time he pronounced that name since his girlfriend's death. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she would be very upset with you."

"You know? I believe Veronica thought it was a joke or worse, and when I entered earlier, and I saw her face, it was clear that she was thinking that I planned on using what happened to her at the party against her."

"Logan, honestly, can you blame her?"

He was silent for a long moment before he whispered, "No."

"This is perfect for her. Skirt and shirt. And this should fit with her shoes too." She moved fast through her wardrobe and still stayed focused on the main topic. "Well, then you need to make her change her mind and think of you as a friend again, a good one."

"Am I?"

Lynn snorted indelicately in response. "So what's your idea now? Take her home, or send her home in a cab? Continue to humiliate her with the most incredible lies I ever heard or try to mend your friendship? For God sake! Veronica with the whole football team?"

"Everybody believes it's true."

"Blind people. People believe what they want to believe because it's easier. It's like Aaron's fans believe that he's a good person just because he always plays them. Or the faithful husband."

"Mom…"

"Let's go. Veronica needs to change. Maybe you should wait outside. Ask Mrs. Navarro to get breakfast ready."

"But…"

"Go."

oOo

Lynn entered the empty room. She laid the black skirt and the white shirt on the bed, along with tiny tourmaline necklace. The shower stopped running and she approached the bathroom door, knocking gently. "Veronica? It's Lynn, I've brought you some clothes. I'll leave them on the bed."

"I'm done. Just a moment."

"Take your…" Veronica opened the door. "time. Wow, that was fast." She smiled.

Veronica's long hair was soaking wet, her body firmly wrapped in a towel that left her shoulders bare. Her eyes were puffy from the crying and her skin was red, probably due to a too-hot shower. She seemed smaller. And younger. Lynn couldn't believe that people hated her.

"Good morning, dear."

"Good morning, Mrs. Echolls." Veronica blushed. "I'm sorry for the whole…" she trailed off, dropping her gaze to the carpet.

"Don't even think about it. Do you feel okay?"

"It's like every noise is louder… but after the shower, I feel better."

"Glad to hear that. You should dry your hair. Oh, and here are some clothes. If you don't like them, we can find something else; maybe Trina's left something in her room."

"I think they'll be fine. Thanks again."

"It's nice to have you in our home again."

Veronica smiled. Lynn seemed to really care for her; she always was nice, even nicer to her than she was to Lilly.

"Do you need help with your hair?"

Veronica blushed again. "Thanks, I'm fine… I just need to towel it for a while. I… I don't want to be a bother… I'll try to be as fast I can."

"No hurry at all. I know how hard it can be the morning after." Veronica glanced at her doubtfully. "Oh come on, Veronica, I was a stage actress before starting in the soaps! Have you any idea how often you can have a rough night after a show? When I was young and beautiful?"

"You still are, Mrs. Echolls."

"Yeah, and you a very polite liar, sweetie." Lynn laid her hand on Veronica's cheek. "Dry you hair or you will catch a cold."

"Mrs. Echolls, you forgot your necklace." Veronica pointed to the little trinket that was left on the bed.

"That's for you, if you like it. No girl should go without some jewelry. I think this would perfectly fit you so it's my gift to you."

"But I can't accept it."

"Please do; it would mean a lot to me. It has a history… maybe one day I'll tell you." Lynn patted her hand. "We're waiting downstairs whenever you're ready."

oOo

Veronica dressed quickly. The skirt was a little large for her, but even slipping a little too far down on her hips, the effect was nice. She carefully fastened the necklace. It was heavier than she thought. For a moment, it seemed ice cold, but soon, it warmed with her body's heat.

She put on her shoes and carefully descended the stairs as if she was afraid to disrupt someone. It was strange to remember that she used to visit Logan's house often though, they usually never went upstairs. She felt as though she was peeking into someone else life. She felt even less comfortable with all of Aaron Echolls' portraits staring at her from the walls.

"Veronica! Here, in the kitchen!" Lynn called, spotting the young girl when she looked around as if she was lost.

Logan turned abruptly, staring at her with an intensity she didn't know how to respond to. For a moment, she met his gaze, gave him a little smile, and then she moved her eyes to something safe: breakfast.

Her belly protested. She didn't feel as though she could eat anything at all.

"I know, I know. But you should try to eat something, sugar. It'll help to deal with the morning after. It's either that or a shot, but you're not old enough for that," Lynn joked, pushing a glass of juice toward her.

'_Yeah, my mother used__the shot cure, too.'_ She bit back the answer that sprang to mind, unwilling to be polemic or unkind after the way Mrs. Echolls had helped her in the last hours. "I'm not much into the alcohol thing, anyway." She smiled a little, even if the smallest smile was an effort.

"But eat something!"

"My mother is not going to let you leave the kitchen before you've had a decent breakfast, so get over it," Logan explained.

Veronica looked again toward him, and this time she smiled at him openly. Then she moved toward Mrs. Navarro.

"Oh, honey, take your seat; I'll bring you this as soon as it's ready."

Veronica smiled at her, embarrassed. "Sorry."

"You're lucky my father is not here, or he would try to impress you with his 'fabulous' cooking. And probably you'd end up poisoned."

"My father's cooking has improved lately…"

"I remember your mother's cookies, though," Lynn complained. "They were always so…" she trailed off with a wry grin. "I always cursed dieting when Lianne baked something!"

"That's the only thing I can make without burning down the whole house. But my father asked me to try something that seems like real food, since we can't survive on snickerdoodles alone." Veronica smiled again, trying to find the right place where she could sit in the sunny breakfast room.

Logan seemed to notice, and he held out a chair for her. "Please, Miss Mars," he teased.

She was sitting down, feeling even less comfortable, when she realized she hadn't called home. She stood up again. "I have to call my father! He's probably worried to death! I think I lost my cell phone."

"I phoned your parents when you arrived here last night," Lynn said. Veronica froze as she went on. "I got your answering machine, and I left a message. I said that Logan was much too drunk for driving, and you escorted him home in his car."

"My reputation thanks you, Mom," he protested mildly.

Veronica looked at him, and he responded with a wink. Memories materialized... his back seat, him buckling her in. "Logan… he did drive me here."

"I know, Veronica, but it didn't seem nice to worry your parents with a bad message. You can always tell them the truth when you see them." Lynn stopped for a moment, considering, before going on, "I didn't know you'd moved."

"What?!" Logan asked, looking at Veronica as if she'd just grown a second head.

"Yeah… we… emm... we did," Veronica stammered, concentrating intently on her toast.

"I didn't know that."

"Too bad for the people who live in my former house," she tried to joke.

"What do you mean?" Lynn asked.

Logan could see for a moment something close to shame on her face. "We… after my father was accused of being the one who leaked Lilly's crime scene footage, we started to receive calls and nasty 'presents' at the door. We had to move anyway, but the good people of Neptune haven't found where yet."

"Oh, that's horrible!" came Lynn's breathy riposte.

Veronica breathed deeply without turning to face Logan. "I swear my father didn't do it. He's a good man; he cared for Lilly, and he never would have done it."

Lynn brushed Veronica's hand. "We all know that. Come on, Veronica, every person who ever met your father knows he's not a bad person."

Veronica's eyes filled with tears when she silently thanked Lynn. She moved her eyes to Logan who, strangely, seemed to find his empty plate extremely interesting. "Most of the people didn't." She paused, letting her sentiment hang in the air before pushing her chair back. "Can I use the phone?"

"Sure, there is another one, second door on the right, so you can have a little more privacy. Oh, and tell your parents again that I'm sorry for my son's drunkenness!"

"Mom!"

"If you don't tell the truth, the lie should be a good one."

"Welcome to my honest and truthful family, Veronica."

Veronica smiled vaguely. God, how she missed joking with her mom. She dialed her house number and reached the answer machine, so she retrieved the messages; the first was from her father.

"Hey, Veronica, it's me. I'm sorry I have to go out the town for two, three days at most. I hope you had fun at the party. I'll call you tomorrow morning - late morning so I'm sure I don't wake you. Even though I'm pretty sure Backup will before I do. I fed him before I left. Don't let him try to convince you otherwise. They're announcing my flight. Take care. I love you."

She sniffed a little.

Then she heard Lynn's message. "Lianne, Keith, hi! It's Lynn Echolls. I know it's late, and I hope you're not out looking for Veronica; she was so kind as bring Logan back home after the party. He was too drunk to drive and apparently even to call a cab, so Veronica drove him home, and since it's pretty late, we asked her to stay. I'll send our driver to get her car back. As soon as she has her car, she will be home. Again, I'm sorry for any trouble."

Veronica's tummy twisted when she heard her mother's name in the message. She deleted it, without a thought. Her father probably hadn't even noticed she was out, so she could lie to him. She hated that, she really did, but she didn't want to give him the pain of knowing what had happened. He'd gone through so much - losing his job, his social status, and his wife, trying to survive on the PI job's measly salary while still trying to not let Veronica feel bad about everything, and still trying to protect her as much he could. No, she couldn't let him know.

If he ever found out about her sleep over, she would stick to Mrs. Echolls' lie.

She breathed deeply again, looking at herself in a window reflection. How could she survive this? How could she cope with this body snatcher who was moving around with Logan Echolls' face? He couldn't be the real Logan. He… darn, he was so sweet. This wasn't normal. He never acted like that, not even when he'd been one of her best friends. Then she felt ashamed. '_Had he seen__her naked?_**_'_** She flushed at the thought. He said Lynn was the one who dressed her for the night, but she hadn't asked how far Beaver went with her, even if the marks on her legs gave her a clue.

She probably stayed there thinking longer than she guessed because Logan came looking for her. He knocked politely despite the open door. "Veronica? Are you okay?"

She closed her eyes, and breathed deeply. She turned, meeting his gaze directly. She had no answer for him. So she simply smiled and gave him a faint nod.

They moved slowly toward the kitchen again. "I'd better get home."

"So what did your parents say?" Lynn asked.

"They weren't home. Dad had to work last night, and mom isn't home- she's out of town."

"Oh, okay. Just so I know, are you going to tell them what happened?" the older woman asked again.

"No, definitely no."

Lynn moved closer. "Veronica, I want you to know we will support whatever you decide. I want you to know I didn't lie to you parents earlier because you have to feel ashamed in any way. It's just if someone called me and told me that my daughter had gone through what you went through last night in a message on a machine, I would panic. That's the only reason."

"I know. But I really don't want my father to know this. He… he would feel guilty for letting me go to the party and not being here last night. I can't do that to him. He doesn't deserve that."

"You're not a little kid anymore. I'll respect your decision. But if you change your mind. We'll support you. And Veronica, if you decide to go to the Sheriff's department..."

"If they get involved, my father would find out about last night. That's the last thing I want to do." She paused for a moment. "I think I'd better go home."

"Your car isn't here yet. And it's not late yet," Logan blurted.

"I know, but I lost the car keys. I have a set at home and Backup is alone home, and I think he needs to be walked."

"I'll give you a ride then," he offered.

"I… I can take the bus."

Veronica was trying to avoid looking at Logan, but he brushed her wrist and waited until their eyes met.

"Either you wait for your car and I follow you home with mine, or I'll just drive you home now."

"As soon she eats something," his mother interjected.

"I thought she forgot…" Veronica whispered to Logan, a small smile playing on her lips at Lynn's insistence that she be fed.

"Believe me, you can't win with her."


	6. Chapter 6

I re-uploaded it for fixing some grammar mistakes.

***** Chapter 6** ***

Veronica had no way to escape her breakfast, so she managed to deal with just eating some toast and drinking a glass of orange juice.

She went upstairs to collect her stuff, and both Lynn and Logan let her go alone. She needed a little space before she would be ready to go, and she needed to be presentable, so that the neighbors wouldn't notice anything wrong with her.

She had been in the guest room for almost twenty minutes, even if she didn't notice that it had been so long, when she heard a soft knock.

"I'm done!" she called, hurrying to open the door, grabbing her dress before dashing out the door. She nearly collided with Logan in the hallway.

"Duncan is here, he found your purse at the party last night. Do you want to see him?"

Veronica gulped, and, for a moment, Logan saw panic on her face.

"Does…" she couldn't find her voice. She closed her eyes and then started again. "Did he see me? I mean while I was…" _**naked**_? "In the room?" She wasn't able to keep his gaze, and she moved her attention to the floor, trying in vain to keep her voice casual.

"There weren't many people in the room: just me, Beaver, Dick-and-Sean." He pronounced the last names as if they were one. "But they were too busy trying to save Beaver's ass to look at you. Oh, and the girl who dressed you was there too, but she didn't care about the exposed skin part either."

She blushed furiously. "But you did see me…"

Logan jumped in to try to reassure her. "It wasn't anything like that, I swear! It's not like I peeked."

"But you saw me!" she repeated, her voice a trembling whisper.

Logan took her shoulders, his eyes burning into hers. "Veronica, you shouldn't feel ashamed; you didn't do anything wrong." He didn't realize he echoed his mother's words. "And, you know, I swear..." he hesitated for a moment, then pressed on, "on Lilly's grave, the only emotion I felt was rage toward Beaver. You know when they say blind rage? That was the case. I couldn't see anything but your face. And, by the way, you still had your dress on."

She nodded a couple of times as if she was trying to convince herself that what he was saying was true, and he went on, "Veronica, I'll never try to stop peeking under girls' skirts if I can, but I'd _**never**_ take advantage of an unconscious girl in danger, especially not you."

Veronica looked at him, meeting his intense gaze. She wished she could tell him that she trusted him, but, honestly, that would be a lie. She felt grateful to him; she had no idea how she could deal if Logan hadn't been there the night before, how she could tell her father. But still, he was the one who made the last few months a nightmare for her.

Logan saw a shadow appear on her face. "Veronica, Duncan is waiting. Do you want me to send him home?"

"No… I … I have… I'll meet him. Give me just a minute."

"Take your time."

She smiled again, appreciating his kindness even while it confused her.

"We'll all be gentlemen, waiting for the lady to be ready." He executed a courtly bow before turning on his heel and marching out through the door.

Veronica stared at the door even after he vanished. Logan was being so kind and friendly and even vaguely flirtatious. The day before, he would have eaten his own car rather than say anything to her. And Duncan! He suddenly wanted to speak with her after months of silence.

She decided resolutely that she was not going to let them back into her life. She looked at her reflection, and she barely recognized herself. Her long hair, falling into natural waves, didn't fit her anymore.

"I don't want to be like this. I won't let anyone hurt me again. No one will be close enough to hurt me. Not ever again."

oOo

"She's coming," Logan said coldly, folding his arms across his chest and leveling Duncan with a contemptuous glare.

"Did she say anything about me?" Duncan asked.

"No."

"Logan, are you okay?" Duncan looked at his friend with a worried gaze.

"No," came the answer.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Logan paused a second before talking again. "It's our fault. You know that, don't you? The whole body shot thing, the whole 'hate Veronica' attitude, we're the ones to blame for that."

"Logan, we didn't know what they were doing to her." Duncan's rational tone was meant to reassure him, instead it made him even angrier.

"I could have been one of them, Duncan. Any other night, I'd have been the one who would pour salt on her body." Logan snorted derisively. "I'm an asshole."

"It's not our fault." Duncan repeated.

"Was that what you told yourself to be able to sleep last night?"

"Logan, don't be too hard on yourself."

Logan almost jumped at his best friend's neck when he yelled, "Did you see Veronica's car?"

Duncan moved his gaze away.

"What's wrong with my car?" Veronica was still on the staircase, watching their standoff in the foyer.

"Nothing. It's going to be here in few minutes."

"Logan, what's. Wrong. With. My. Car?" She repeated slowly, stretching out every word.

"Look, someone wrote something on your windshield, that's all. It's clean now." He tried in vain to seem casual.

"What did they write?" She descended the remaining stairs, and crossed the short distance to face Logan.

"You don't want to know. Let it go."

"What did they write?" she repeated tersely.

"I heard your question the first time."

"Yeah, well, I didn't hear any answer." She'd certainly had her fill of lies, and in this, she was determined to find out the truth

"They wrote…" Logan swallowed hard, searching for an answer. When no reassurance surfaced, he reluctantly told the truth, "They wrote 'slut' on your windshield." It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

Veronica froze. '_**Don't let anyone hurt you.'**_She repeated mentally, but it wasn't working at all. So in a split-second decision, she changed her mantra to '_**Don't let them know they are hurting you**_**.'** She controlled her quaking hands and arched an eyebrow. "Well, God bless originality. It's not anything I haven't heard before."

Both guys frowned, and an unwelcome silence filled the room.

Shuffling his feet and coughing to dispel the tension, Duncan gave her a small package.

"Thanks, and thanks for rescuing me from the body shots thing. Logan told me about that, so thanks." Her voice was casual, expressionless. She was faking a calm she didn't feel.

Logan could see her shoulders contract and wondered why she was performing for Duncan. The Veronica he remembered wasn't good at faking or lying or whatever implied dishonesty, and even now, she wasn't good enough to fool him. But she was certainly fooling Duncan. He believed Veronica was fine. Logan could see that from the way the other boy was relaxing his face. '_**Idiot**.'_ He was Lilly's brother. He should have learned to be able to see when someone was lying.

Veronica opened her purse and looked for her cell phone. Four unanswered calls. She dialed her father's number.

"Hi, Dad!" She walked away from the guys to continue her call with privacy. Her voice was, with a visible effort, jubilant. Neither Logan nor Duncan could remember Veronica speaking to them in that tone since Lilly's death. "Yeah, sorry, I just recovered the phone. I forgot it in the car, and I didn't notice that until now. Yeah, I got the message. I'm going to walk Backup just now. Yeah, I slept well and I completely enjoy having the apartment just to myself. When are you going to be back? Okay. Take care… Dad? Be careful, okay?" Then she paled rapidly; she closed her eyes and breathed deeply before faking a smile that she was sure her father would hear. "The party? I drank myself unconscious and woke up in a strange place. You know, the usual." She paused with a forced laugh. "Yeah, I love you too."

She hid the phone back in her purse, her hands trembled slightly.

Logan moved closer. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

Her body contracted again, and she physically recoiled from him. "Yeah," she lied.

ooOOoo

Lynn walked into the foyer, oblivious to the discomfort in the room.

"Veronica, your car is outside."

"Thanks so much, Mrs. Echolls; then I can go. I'm sorry for all this."

"As I said before, don't worry about that. May I speak with you for a moment, alone?"

Veronica glanced at the two boys. "Sure." Relieved to be away from them, she followed the woman into a room that she supposed was Lynn's studio: there were scripts on a desk and a picture of a three-or-four-year-old cowboy Logan on a pony.

"I thought a lot, Veronica, about what happened. Not just last night, but since Lilly died. I know how hard this is for you."

Veronica stepped back, her flight response fluttering in her belly. "I should be going."

'_**God, I really didn't want to talk about this; not with Logan's mother, not with anyone.'**_

"Please, Veronica. Listen to me. This is Victor's card. He's a psychologist; I think he can help you. He's the best one in town."

"I went to a shrink, after Lilly was murdered. I… I'm done with that, sorry. I really appreciate your help, but…"

"I don't think you need it about Lilly, but for you. After the… 'accident,' I know how Logan and his friends acted. And after last night, I don't want you to be alone."

"I'm not alone; I have my dad!"

"A father who doesn't know what happened to you?"

"Why do I have to hurt him? Didn't he go through enough? He doesn't deserve that!" Veronica's rage exploded, her voice trembled, but she was able to sustain Lynn's gaze.

Lynn remained silent, simply smiling at her, and this made Veronica blush in discomfort. She felt ashamed for her reaction; she knew Mrs. Echolls just wanted to help. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean…" But Lynn put her hands on Veronica's to stop her apology.

"Look, just think about this, okay?"

Veronica shook her head. "I don't want to lie to you; I can't even effort a shrink, not even a bad one…"

"Veronica, go to Vic. If you decide you'd like to try it, go all the time you need to. Take it for payback of Logan being an asshole to you."

Veronica's eyes opened wide. "He… didn't…"

"We both know he did. He's sorry now; he spent last night watching you sleep just to be sure you were fine, but that alone doesn't make you any better. It doesn't erase the last few months. If you need someone to speak with, and you don't want to go talk with Victor, just come here, okay? I'll try to help."

Veronica smiled and turned away to walk slowly toward the door. Her eyes were teary: this woman made the hole that Lianne had left behind all the more painful. "Logan is lucky to have you as a mother," she said a moment before leaving the room.

Lynn's eyes washed over with an almost scary sadness. Veronica caught it even though Lynn dropped her gaze to the soft Oriental carpet beneath her heels. "No, he isn't. That's one of the reasons I wish you would let me help you. I couldn't help him when he needed me, but he cares about you, helping you. Maybe if I can help you, maybe it will be like helping him too." For a moment, she moved her gaze to Veronica who was watching her with a worried expression. So she did what she was good at: she donned her shiniest actress mask. "That, and the fact you're the friend of Logan's I've preferred since you were... what? 12?"

Veronica caressed the tiny black necklace she was wearing and smiled genuinely, even if her smile tasted of sadness and loneliness. "You've already helped me a lot, Mrs. Echolls." And, with that, she pushed through the door, escaping Lynn's sanctuary.

oOo

The thing that hit Veronica first upon reentering the foyer was that Logan was still in the same place he'd been when she left, and Duncan had moved to lean next to a peculiarly carved totem near the door, but the two of them were stone silent, and she wondered if they had spoken at all since she left. It wasn't as if they had fought, but there was definitely tension between them.

"I'm going, this time for real." She didn't even try to smile that time.

"One second, and I'm ready too." Logan hurriedly snatched his jacket from a hanger in the closet behind him, shrugging into it.

"I can go home alone; I don't need a babysitter." Her voice remained impassive.

"I know… It's just…" He didn't know how to say he only wanted to be sure she was okay.

"I can go with you, if you want." Duncan proposed.

A surprised Veronica moved her gaze to her former boyfriend. "You want to speak to me?"

"Yeah."

"You really want to speak to me?" she repeated as if she wanted to be sure she'd heard the correct answer.

"Yes, of course. I want to speak with you." He smiled sincerely at her.

Logan cringed; he felt she was ready to say something Duncan wasn't going to like. He could see it from the fire in Veronica's eyes.

"Okay, then." She folded her arms, looking him straight in the eye. "How about we open the floor for discussion on why you dumped me?"

Duncan paled. "I… that's not…"

Veronica pasted a smile on her face. "That's what I thought. Bye, Duncan."

She marched out through the door, leaving a stunned Duncan and a worried Logan in her wake.


	7. Chapter 7

First things first! Thanks to you all guys for the reviews, I try to answer to all of you! But since Angel is not registered I use a moment to thank her (? him) for her reviews and all the review I can't answer!

I'm re-uploading this because I just fixed some grammar errors! Thanks JasterLady!

**Chapter 7**

Veronica had already started the engine of her car when Logan yanked the door open before she could drive away. "You're short, but God, you're really fast."

"Shut the door and I'll show you how fast I can go," she retorted glacially.

"Can I jump in?"

"No way. Why do I have to say everything twice to you? I don't need a babysitter."

"Look, I promised my mother I'd make sure you got home okay. Don't make me lie to her."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Jump in. Don't mind if I am not in the mood for fancy talk, okay?" she asked rhetorically.

She left the Echolls' property with relief. It was like leaving everything behind her. Or it would be if she didn't have Logan's presence mocking her silently.

"So spill whatever it is you're dying to before your head explodes," Veronica commanded in an annoyed voice, since neither of them were speaking.

"I wasn't thinking anything," Logan made an effort, trying to be polite. This was frustrating, he was trying to make amends, he was trying to sound casual, trying to show Veronica she didn't have to cut him out, that he was willing to fix things between them. It was not just because of feeling guilty about leading people against the realization he'd had the night before that Veronica could end up dead like Lilly, as his vision of her had led him to believe, scared him more than he would've thought possible.. He couldn't lose Veronica too. She had been his friend since the day he'd arrived in Neptune years ago. He was going to make Veronica trust him again. No matter how hard that seemed right now.

"_**That**_ is not hard to believe. But that's not the point. So, go on, scold me for treating your precious best friend badly."

"I don't see why I should. _**And**_," he emphasized the word by leaning across the console into her space, "I asked him that very same question more than once, so it was a good question."

Veronica slammed on the brakes, and the safety belt pulled him sharply against his seat.

"Damnit, Mars!"

Veronica was staring at him, her hands gripping the wheel so firmly that her knuckles were white. "You really don't know?"

"He never answered." Veronica eased her grip and depressed the pedal as soon he spoke again. "Look I'm…"

"Don't even try to tell me you're sorry, or I'll kick you out of the car." Veronica snapped.

He didn't add anything, but Veronica heard him smile with a sort of snort.

"Did you really move?"

"No. My father and I really love to play games with the phone company employees. Every week, we call them and tell them we moved. Just for fun."

He paused a moment to study her stern expression before asking, "What did my mother say to you that made you so pissed off?"

Veronica's expression didn't even flicker. "You mother told me that you're an asshole. Her words, not mine."

Logan tried to stay calm. He was trying to connect and he knew it wasn't going to be easy, but she was refusing to give him any hope. They seemed to be fine this morning in the bathroom, during breakfast, and even less than a half of an hour ago in the guest room. "Did she spell it out in a cheerleading routine? Because you stayed with her longer than that."

"What do you want from me?" Her voice sounded exhausted and unnerved.

"Nothing, I was trying to have a conversation," he answered apologetically.

"Yeah, because we're BFF's who love each other that much," she simpered with a scoff.

Out of the blue, he asked, "Do you want me to drive?"

"Why? Does your manhood feel threatened by being chauffeured around by a chick?"

He nodded his assent, but didn't speak.

He knew from the way her jaw clenched so tightly and her throbbing pulse that she was pissed. No, even farther gone than that. Veronica was _enraged_by his answer.

Rage.

He knew that. It was that only thing that helped him to survive all his life. Rage. He hadn't known that Veronica had it inside her, but he was glad she did. It would help Veronica survive this whole mess caused by Lilly's death. He wondered if he would survive it too.

The silence in the car screamed aloud the whole rest of the journey. As soon as she swung the LeBaron into the parking lot at the Sunset Cliffs, Veronica jumped out of her car as if her seat was on fire. Logan climbed out slowly, assessing the shabby apartment complex. She was walking fast, faster than usual, as if suddenly she was anxious to be home. To feel home.

"Veronica!" a female voice called her. "Hi! Do you mind?" The woman next door was juggling several packages as she tried to unlatch the gate.

"Sure!" Veronica smiled to her neighbor as she helped her to open the door.

"Who's the boy? He looks nice. Familiar, too."

"He's a…" Friend? Former friend? The guy who saved me from being raped? "Just a guy I go to school with."

"It's good to see you're not alone. And I'd say good choice in company!"

Veronica blushed violently. "No… he's not…. I mean… we just go to school together, nothing more."

"Yeah, okay." The woman was smiling in an 'I-know-how-this-works' way, and Veronica started to panic. What if she mentioned this to her father? What if he figured out that she hadn't slept at home last night? Would she rather him find out she'd been drugged and nearly raped, or know that she'd spent the night under Logan's care?

In the middle of her whole panic moment, Veronica heard Logan's voice call her, "Doggie is waiting, Sugarpuss." What she couldn't see was Logan's face, and his sharing a funny look with the lady beyond Veronica.

Mrs. Lewis saw Veronica's face flush in an adorable pink mask, and her eyes grow wider. The older woman had to fight the urge to laugh in order to not embarrass the young girl more.

"I…"

"I see you're busy. We'll talk again soon, Veronica, and say hello to your father for me. Bye sweetie, and bye 'just a guy from school.' " She laughed, turning to enter through the door, but before closing it, she turned again and waved to Logan too.

oOo

Logan waited patiently until Veronica turned. She was fuming. "How could you... I live here!"

"Veronica…" he began.

She cut across him. "Why did you have to do that?! Now what will she think?!" She was almost yelling.

He tipped his head down, looking at the cement walkway for a moment before meeting her eyes. "That you have terrific taste in guys?" His voice dripped with syrupy sweetness, but his smirk only served to infuriate Veronica.

"You… you… I hate you!" Veronica snapped.

Logan smiled despite her outburst. This was the Veronica he remembered, the one who always got mad at him for his bad jokes, the one filled with hot, burning rage. He preferred the passionate Veronica over the one who seemed frozen on the inside, the one whose anger was cold like it had been earlier in the car.

He walked behind her, pleased with himself. He was sure that for the first time since this morning, she wasn't thinking about the previous evening.

She opened the door, and a pit-bull jumped on her, almost making her lose her equilibrium. He was barking happily, licking at her face as she scratched the space between his ears. Her eyes filled with the tears she refused to shed. She was home.

"Good, good dog. Yes, I'm home, I'm home. I missed you… so much."

oOo

Logan watched the way Veronica and Backup acted with each other. For the first time since last night, he saw her relax; her eyes were still sad and hurt, but her body lost the tension she had been wearing for the whole morning. He realized that he was relieved to be there watching Veronica become herself again. He was soon disappointed. The moment he met Veronica's gaze, she tensed again.

"I'm home now, you can go. I'm okay." She didn't watch him as she spoke, **rather,** she pretended to look for the dog's leash.

"I was thinking about walking the dog with you," Logan suggested casually.

"Backup."

Logan's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't refused his offer, hadn't argued. "Yeah, that's the idea."

Veronica smirked. "Backup is his name, and I have him as company. I'm really fine now. Go." She watched Logan's face fall. He really seemed hurt by her refusal. How could it be that he wasn't able to understand that she needed to be alone? That she needed to erase everything related to last night from her life? And that he was _**not**_ helping.

With a resigned shrug, she set the leash on the counter, much to Backup's obvious chagrin. "I'm going to walk Backup at DogBeach, and I need to change my shoes. I can't go there in heels. Make yourself at home, but don't make sudden movements. Backup isn't too friendly with people he doesn't know. He usually doesn't bite if you're not a threat to me, though. I'll be right back."

Logan watched Veronica vanish into her room before he sat on the couch and looked around. The apartment was so small, it would probably have fit into his own bedroom easily. However, even though it was cramped, it felt like a real home. It was a warm, alive, comfy place, unlike his own. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling all the tiredness from the previous night's unrest all at once.

Before he realized it, he fell asleep.

oOo

Veronica walked out from her room. "My hair was a mess, I had to brush it. I swear, I'm going to cut it all off…" she stopped, mid-gripe, stared at the slumbering guy on her couch. She remembered his mother's words. He'd watched over her all night.

For a moment she fretted over what to do. Leaving Logan in her apartment alone was out of the question. There were too many secrets in the house, and it was too risky that he could found her files about Lilly's death. Or about her mother not being there anymore. Leave him asleep a little longer? She glanced at Backup, who whined for her attention. She didn't think the dog could resist much longer.

She moved silently toward him. "Logan?" No answer, she brushed his shoulder and then shook it. "Logan? I have to go walk Backup." He mumbled something. She considered her options once more. "I'll be back in few minutes. Is it okay if you stay here alone for ten minutes?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, sleepily shifting into a more comfortable position.

"I'll be back as soon I can. Come on, Backup, let's go." The puppy barked. "Don't worry about Logan, he's okay."

Veronica was locking the door behind her when Logan stood up, rubbing his eyes. "I'm up, and I'm coming with you!"

"Rest, we'll just make a quick tour of the block."

"No, I'm fine," he protested.

"Look, go home. Sleep. I'm okay, I'm here, I'm not alone. Backup is here. I'm pretty sure you have a lot of things to do."

"I'm as free as a bird today," he insisted, barely suppressing a yawn.

"Look at you! You can barely stay awake."

"I'll sleep later. My record is fifty hours sleepless."

"Color me impressed," she answered with a sarcastic tone.

oOo

They walked silently towards the car. Veronica let Backup hop into the front seat on the passenger side.

"If you mind having Backup between your legs, you can drive, or I can put him in the backseat."

Logan shook his head. "Drive, I don't mind." Barely able to keep his bleary eyes open, let alone carry on a conversation, Logan stayed quiet, his head resting against the window.

Backup rested his jowls on Logan's left leg, staring up at Veronica questioningly.

Veronica did a quick check of her passenger as she drove. She didn't know if he was awake, but his eyes were fluttering open and closed as though he was battling sleep. Having Logan so close, so emotionally close after so long, especially for such an awful reason, made her feel sick. She hated this. And still, not as much as she thought she might. Part of her was glad to have her friend back, but for how long?

He did show how much he cared last night. She knew he would never explain why he saved her, his watchfulness through the night, nor his whole new protective big brother attitude. She never felt so confused. What was she going to do with this guy? She sort of hated him. She hated him because she couldn't afford not to hate a person who treated her like Logan had since Lilly's death. Still caring for him would have meant being too hurt, even more than she already was. So what now? A spoiled guy tried to rape her, he'd come to her rescue, and now everything was going to be all right? Or with Duncan? Her protective, bitter exterior was warring with the thankfulness she felt toward them both on the inside. Everything was so darned confusing.

Veronica realized she was staring at her wheel for a long time. They'd arrived at DogBeach minutes ago, but still she was silent. She didn't realize when Logan opened his eyes.

"Not that I don't mind staying here with you and Hooch, but do you think we should go out before he gets any other fluid on my pants?"

Veronica was startled when he talked. With a sideways glance at his face, she half-laughed at the comment. Since she was still policing herself around him, she still didn't know how cope with him. Laughing at someone's joke isn't a good way to hate him.

"I thought you were sleeping," she apologized.

"I told you I was fine. "

Backup barked. "Yeah, yeah, come on, we'll get out. Sorry, buddy, I was distracted." She scratched him on the ears as he clambered over Logan out of the vehicle.

oOo

Incredibly, they stayed at the beach for two hours.

There was a big blanket in the trunk of her car. Veronica had it since she started driving. When her mother was too drunk and couldn't reach the bed, collapsing on the couch, or her parents were fighting too loudly before her mother left, Veronica would take Backup for a long "walk." She'd usually be gone a couple of hours or so until her father came to check on her, and more likely, to let her know that she could come back home.

She took it out before thinking about it, but then she tensed, awaiting a sarcastic remark from Logan about the possible implications.

"A blanket!? You don't happen to have a couple of beers and something to eat in there, do you?"

Veronica pulled a face. "Beers? It's morning! Plus, you ate less than two hours ago!" His lack of a comment concerning the blanket in her car relieved her. Two days ago, the kindest thing he would have had to say about that would have been that she had the blanket in order to making servicing her clients under the bleachers all the more comfortable.

"Yeah, but I'm a guy; I'm growing, building my bones. I need to eat to grow up healthy." He faked an ingenuous face, and Veronica wrinkled her nose. "And don't make that face! I've seen you eat; you could out-eat me any day!"

"I'm not hungry."

"Yeah, but that was this morning; I know you. You can eat four egg rolls just as an appetizer."

She shrugged dismissing his attempt at conversation out of hand, and he felt like a failure. He was trying to be casual, vague, not forcing her to think about anything, and yet, she rarely even changed the resolved expression on her face.

ooOOoo

They stayed there on the beach, sitting or lying back, each on their own portion of the blanket, each fastidiously avoiding crossing the proverbial line in the sand. They were mostly silent, but neither minded.

Logan could hear Veronica's mind working hard. Not that Veronica said anything about the bent of her thoughts; the few words they spoke were about safe things like Backup, the weather, and a few horrified comments about a song someone was listening to too loudly. Logan tried to be friendly. He was trying so hard, that sometimes he seemed almost flirtatious, but Veronica didn't react in any way. She remained distant and definitely unwilling to chat. He didn't know if that was a reaction from what happened last night or about the last months.

Veronica noticed that the exact moment Logan fell asleep, his breath slowed down and his face relaxed. That allowed Veronica to relax a little bit more. For the billionth time that morning, she hoped she would find her mother at home when she returned. Or, at least, her father. She could lie to him, tell him an excuse for being sad and have some comfort food, some jokes and hopefully, some hugs. He would let her cry on his shoulder and not get too worried.

She grew restless with wanting to be in the comfort of her own home, and only an hour and half later, Veronica woke Logan up.

"Logan, it's time to go." Again, she wanted to scream, to rail against him. She didn't know how to speak with him anymore. Having him close was confusing, and, even if he had been with her for hours now, she still couldn't decide how deal with this.

"Come on, Echolls. Wake up."

He stirred, nodding.

"Come on, I'm driving you home."

He realized what Veronica said and sat up quickly.

"Are you sure?"

She shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"That's not … I mean, are you _**sure**_? If you want, I can stay. If you don't want to stay alone, I mean…"

"Look, I'm used to being alone," she interrupted him. Her voice saddened when she added, "And I'm not sure I am willing to deal with you right now, Logan."

"Oh." Logan tried to meet her eyes, but Veronica's gaze was unfocused as she looked toward the ocean.

"Really, I can't say how grateful I am for what you did last night, but, Logan, it's not like we're friends."

"We were."

"I know we were. But we're not anymore. I'm sorry. It's not something that we can forget."

"Veronica…"

Her voice trembled badly when she whispered, "Logan, I can't... I can't deal with you right now."

"It's okay. I can understand that." But his voice sounded hurt. "Look, all I can say is if you need me, you know where you can find me."

She simply nodded.

Logan stood up and then offered his hand to Veronica, who stared at it for longer than was required. Pretending to not be hurt by her hesitation, even in the little things, required a great deal of effort from Logan. He didn't take his hand away, just stood, waiting until Veronica would accept his help.

And eventually she did. Not willingly or too convincingly, but she did.

oOo

Logan opened the door, one hand on Backup's collar, keeping the dog from jumping out, his right leg out of the car. He didn't seem to have any intention of moving any time soon. Veronica looked at him for a moment then moved her gaze to Backup.

"I should go," he said blankly.

"Yeah, I should go too."

"Veronica…"

She cut across him with a whisper. "I know I already said it, but thanks."

"You're welcome." He stayed silent for a moment, then he added, "I was thinking, how about we hang out sometime?"

"I don't know."

"Can… can I come check on you later?"

"Logan, I'm fine," she lied.

_**'No, you're not, or you would have**__**kicked**__**my ass out of**__**your car a long time ago'**_****he thought, but what he answered was, "I know you are, but I want to be sure."

Veronica knew he was lying too, but she stayed silent.

"Can I come?"

Veronica didn't answer readily, as if she was thinking about it, but when Logan slowly moved his earnest gaze to her, she closed her eyes for a long moment and then nodded.

"Then I'll be there."


	8. Chapter 8

**I was late with both posting and answering the latest reviews! I promise I'll answer! Thanks!**

**Chapter 8**

Logan's day was the slowest ever. He hated to leave Veronica, but he knew she needed some time alone. Still, the thought of her being alone after the previous night did bother him. Also, there was still something that he didn't understand. From what he remembered, Veronica was close to her mother, even if the alcohol problem was often an issue, and Veronica had barely spoke about her. She only mentioned her father, and she hadn't called her mother at all.

For the first time since it happened, Logan wondered how lonely Veronica had been since Lilly's death. She was always alone at school, and it was something that allowed people to target her even more easily.

As soon he went back to school he was going to change that. No one would mess with her again. _Ever_.

oooOOOooo

_VeronicaV.O:_**_' I don't know how many showers I took that day. I felt dirty,_** _**and, hence, I cleaned**_ _**everything I could: myself and my house. Good thing my father wasn't home, because if he saw me like that,**_ _**he would have**_ **known**_**. I mean,**_ _**when your teenage**_ _**daughter suddenly acts as**_ _**if she was possessed by a**_ _**housewife's**_ _**maniac spirit, it's not hard to see**_ _**that something is wrong**_.'

oooOOOooo

Logan knocked at the Mars' door at seven p.m. sharp. He heard Veronica's "Just a moment!" from another room. He looked inside, and he saw her stumble into something. He could see her walking towards the door; she looked tired, and she was wearing a sloppy t-shirt too big for her and a pair of shorts long enough to cover her bruises. Her gaze was toward the floor, her eyes still red, probably from fresh tears, and her cheeks were flushed pink.

"Were you running?" he asked as soon she opened the door.

She blushed an even deeper pink. "Cleaning."

So explained, she looked at him. He had a couple of pizzas, a bag with half a dozen cans of soda, a couple of different brands of ice cream, some chocolate, and another bag full of DVDs.

"You brought pizza?"

"Yeah, I thought you would be hungry."

"Not really."

He emptied the bags on the kitchen island.

"Did you plan to stay here forever?" Her voice sounded like a mix between annoyed and stunned. She was shocked by all the stuff he brought.

He simply looked at her, his eyebrows quirked into a question mark, and Veronica pointed to the DVDs.

"Oh! I didn't know what sort of mood you'd be in, so I thought I'd give you a choice."

"_Who Framed Roger Rabbit?_" Veronica couldn't help but laugh, even though she tried.

"I brought worse."

"_You've Got Mail_?" Her voice showed her disbelief.

"I also brought _Snatch_," he replied defensively.

"_Chocolat_?"

"Apparently, every girl loves Johnny Depp. Why? That's a mystery."

"He's a great actor," she replied simply with a shrug.

"Yeah, well, I don't believe that is the only reason."

Logan opened the pizza box and casually asked, "Did you eat today?"

Veronica shrugged again. "Yeah," she answered vaguely.

"I mean, after you left my place." Logan wondered why he bothered to ask since he already knew the answer and she obviously didn't want to tell him that she hadn't eaten.

"Oh… well… I think I sort of forgot…" she added casually.

He put a cheesy slice on a plate and shoved it toward her, "Eat!"

"Yeah I got the idea, since you bought the whole shop and _**TWO **_pizzas. You do know it's just the two of us, right?" She sounded pissed off, but he was not sure if she really was or if she just wanted him to believe that she was.

He decided to avoid any further confrontation and just pointed to the pizza. "Yeah, well, I suggest you sit down and eat if you expect any dessert," he ordered as he put the ice cream in the freezer.

"Yeah, _Dad_," she mocked.

oOo

Veronica sat on the couch with her slice of pizza. She didn't even try to protest his obvious intention of spending the whole evening with her. She hated herself for needing to have someone with her. She was exhausted, but when she'd tried to rest earlier, her mind had screamed about the previous evening and the last months as soon as her head touched the pillow. Worries about how much people hated her, about how much people wanted her to be hurt raged in her mind, and sleep eluded her.

She hated to admit it, but she needed Logan. She needed to have someone who cared for her, even if he was her worst enemy. She was not sure she would be able to spend the night alone.

Logan sat near her on the sofa, his lanky frame easily taking up more than half of the small area. "So," he hedged, swiping pizza sauce from his mouth with the back of his hand, "Which movie?"

"You choose. I don't even know half of these movies." She was too tired to choose, and her voice was showing all of her exhaustion.

"What about I let you drool over Johnny Depp?" he asked casually.

"You? Watching a _romance?"_ she was genuinely shocked.

"I can make an exception just this once. Don't get used to it though, and don't go spreading it around," he answered with an amused smile.

"Lilly said you hated love stories, and that's why we never went to the theater together!"

"I don't like them much; they are too corny most of the time, but Lilly hated them a lot more than I do," he explained.

"Really? She never told me. We watched them together sometimes."

"Yeah? She really did?" It was his turn to be shocked.

Veronica simply nodded. "Sometimes I wonder if I knew her at all," she confessed, looking down at the plate on her lap.

He breathed in deeply; this was not a subject he wanted to touch tonight, or this century, for that matter. "No matter what, we loved her."

Veronica smiled and met his eyes. "Yeah, a lot."

Logan stood and brought back the pizza box, the sodas and the Depp movie.

"So, tell me this big secret," Logan said casually, carefully watching her from the corner of his eye as he situated the DVD in her player.

Veronica eyes widened, and she tensed visibly. "I…" her voice trembled. "...I don't have a secret." It was obvious that she was lying, and she hated herself for being so vulnerable. There were too many secrets in her life, and there was too much going on in her head tonight for her to be a good liar.

Logan was watching her: everything seemed to be fine, or at least, something close to fine a minute ago, and now suddenly the room was filled with tension. So Veronica had something she was afraid he would discover.

"Everyone has secrets, Mars, you should know that. I was just talking about Johnny Depp. What's the big mystery? Why does every girl love him?" He waggled the DVD case at her, as if it offered proof of his intentions.

Veronica didn't relax immediately, but relief colored her face again. "Oh… that... well, he's a great actor, as I said, a brave one. He never lets any role he does stack against him, he doesn't let, never lets himself be typecast, and every role is different..."

Logan cut across her, "So nothing like my father then?" he asked blankly.

Veronica blushed, she didn't mean to insult him. "I didn't think about that. It's just that sometimes, I forget about your parents' job…it's just you, ya know?"

Logan stared at her for a moment. He remembered the twelve -year-old girl that never asked to meet his famous Hollywood parents, or for an autograph from them, or the gossip about them, or about a movie they were filming. He never believe that any of his friends didn't care about his parents. Everyone was interested in being all BFF with a star's son, even, or maybe above all, Lilly. Everyone but Veronica.

He cleared his throat. "Come on, it's not just because he's a good actor, or girls would drool on Hoffman or on Pacino or…"

"Yeah, well… it helps that he's hot! I mean, okay, he's sexy, even if he looks like he doesn't care about being a sex symbol, and as if he doesn't really understand why he is one."

"A lot of actors do that, and still…"

"Okay, okay! It's silly, but I have my own theory."

"Shoot."

"He was a 'bad boy,' you know all sex, drugs, and rock and roll style, and then, boom, he fell in love, and he was brave enough to change his ways. Now he's doing the loving father and faithful guy thing. I guess that's why."

Logan wrinkled his nose. "So girls want a bad boy, but then they have to turn into something different?"

"No, well, not really. It's not the girl who has to change him. It must be _**his**_ choice. That's the point."

Logan thought about that for a very long moment. She seemed to believe that, seriously. He wondered if he would have changed for Lilly, or if Lilly would have changed for him. But he knew better. Neither of them would have changed. One of the reasons he loved staying with Lilly was that she never would have asked him to change. Even thinking about that just now, she simply wanted him like he was, with her, always ready to do whatever she wanted him to do. Would he have changed if Lilly asked? Would he change if Veronica asked? Crap! He already _had_ changed, and they weren't even friends! "This is crap. You know that, don't you?"

Veronica burst out laughing, "Yeah, I know."

For the first time since Lilly's death, Logan saw Veronica shine. She was laughing with all her body, with her eyes. He had loved his girlfriend, he really had, even if he knew Lilly'd betrayed him many times, he'd never stop loving her, not even now that she was dead. However, part of him had always preferred to hang out with Veronica, because she was the only one who really was completely open with her feelings. She laughed, she cried, she lived in a different way from other people. Logan always thought it was something related to the former Sheriff Mars, stemming from the good relationship they shared. She wasn't worried about any gesture she made. No one beat her when she did something wrong, like his own father did, nor did anyone criticize whatever she did, choosing her perfect brother over her as Celeste Kane did, and she was never forced to follow a path toward the White House as Duncan was. She was only, and always, Veronica Mars. Expectations? A lot. Pressure? None. She was happy about who she was. Or at least the 'Old Veronica' had been. Before Duncan dumped her, before Abel Koontz killed her best friend.

oOo

Veronica didn't reach the end of movie as she fell asleep with a smile on her lips about midway through it. The evening had been extremely nice, even sweet. They even shared some jokes and some wisecracks, but there had been nothing vicious at all. Sometimes, they strayed into flirtatious territory, but Logan avoided every sexual allusion, and Veronica didn't miss his effort in that. So gradually, she let herself put her guard down, and she fell asleep.

Logan had been looking at her the whole evening, with quick glances and silly excuses like, "Soda?" "Chocolate?" "Pizza?" and a lot of teasing about the plot of the movie. Sometimes, he'd offer some random bit of information about this actor's or that actress' performance, an almost-pro movie critic commentary. Of course, he also shared some unsolicited gossip too. The moment he realized that Veronica had fallen asleep, he turned off the volume and switched the subtitles on; however, he never read them. He just watched Veronica sleep, for a very long half an hour. She seemed different from the night before. She had a half smile on her lips, and Logan decided to believe it was because he was there and not related to any Depp-induced dreams.

After a long while, he stood up and went in search of the bathroom. Again, he was stricken by how small the apartment was compared his own. Even the pool house was twice the size of Veronica's new home. But there was something here that made him prefer this place to any room of his mansion. He found the bathroom easily, and during his brief walk back, he glimpsed Veronica's room.

The door was half open, and walking backwards in the opposite direction gave him the visual of the whole room. Something was wrong there.

He carefully opened the door a little more, and he saw where Veronica tripped earlier. There were a lot of books on the floor. Most of the shelves were spotlessly tidy, and one was empty, and no doubt it was where the books belonged. So that's what Veronica did the whole day: cleaning her pain out. Again he wanted to kick himself for what had happened to her.

From the mirror over Veronica's dresser, a picture of Lilly and Veronica mocked him. "I'll make it better. I promise, Lilly… you should have kicked me sooner… you know what a jackass I can be. Help me to make her better."

He took a blanket from Veronica's bed, hoping that she wouldn't mind too much that he'd been in her bedroom.

When he returned, Veronica was still asleep, but a painful expression had stolen the smile from her lips, and she had her arms wrapped protectively around herself.

"Don't die… Lilly, don't die… Please… don't kill her… don't..." she murmured as she tossed her head fitfully against the couch cushions, tears escaping from her closed eyes.

"Veronica, it's a bad dream. Come on, wake up," he tried to console her, but what a moment ago was a whispered plea, became a sob.

"Crap!" he mouthed.

Logan tucked the blanket around her body and sat on his part of the couch. Without thinking about it, he cradled Veronica carefully, moving her toward himself. Her head lay against his chest, and his arms circled her body. He stroked her back as he had earlier this morning, whispering comforting words. She jumped, opening her eyes for a moment, and Logan smiled reassuringly down at her. Her eyes were expressionless, and he wondered if she'd actually woken up or if she was still sleeping. Without complaint, she moved her head slightly, seeking a more comfortable position, and then her whole body moved, rolling to her side. She let her hand slip around Logan's torso. He loosened his arms to let her settle, and then he encircled her again. Veronica, feeling protected for the first time in months, let herself slip into a dreamless slumber.

"I won't let anyone hurt you. That's a promise, Veronica."

oOo

The smell of fresh coffee woke her. Veronica stirred, breathing deeply, and she realized that breakfast wasn't the only fragrance in the air. Her pillow smelled good too. The scent was familiar, yet not altogether something she knew intimately. It was a smell that allowed her to feel safe and protected. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and Logan's sleeping face appeared some inches above her own; it appeared that she'd been using his torso as cushion. Under the blanket, one of her hands lay on his chest and the other rested on his arm. Logan was still holding her, one hand that lay across her arm slightly brushed her breast unconsciously.

She jumped up, pushing her hand against Logan's chest to find the leverage necessary to move away faster.

Logan woke up abruptly. "What the...?" He saw her panicked face, and he was instantly completely awake. "Veronica?"

"Logan…" she began.

She was interrupted by another masculine voice calling her name from behind her.

She whirled around to see her father watching them from the entrance to the short hallway. "Dad!"

"Mr. Mars!" Logan exclaimed and stood up abruptly.

"Logan." Keith's voice was barely serious, and he just acknowledged the boy with a little bow of his head. He needed all his self-control in order to not burst out laughing for the craziness of the situation. His daughter's expression and Logan's were simply hilarious.

"Coffee is ready," Keith informed them calmly.

Both Veronica and Logan spoke at once. "Dad, we can explain…"

"Mr. Mars, it's not what it looks like…"

"I'm pretty sure it is exactly like that," the former sheriff commented glacially. He turned toward the kitchenette without missing how Veronica's hands held Logan's arm, as if it was a lifeboat.

"Dad, we can explain!" Veronica insisted, looking at Logan for help.

"You already told me that," Keith replied casually.

"Right," came Veronica's hesitant riposte.

Keith poured his coffee, adding some sugar and slowly mixing it, letting the teaspoon noisily clatter against the cup. "So?"

Logan opened his mouth to explain, but before he could form a hasty excuse, he caught the mischievous twinkle in Keith's eye. He heaved a sigh of relief, and allowed it to turn into laughter. A moment later, Keith joined him. Veronica glanced between the two as though they were mad

"He knows!" Logan said to reassure Veronica. He felt her grip stiffen, and he realized that she was thinking about the party. "Come on, Mars, it's not like he caught us making out! We didn't even kiss! He knows nothing happened. He's just having fun!"

Veronica looked at his father and realized that Logan was right. Her father was laughing, his eyes twinkling merrily, but she was too worried about the party's consequences to notice.

Keith gave her the coffee cup, "Who's your daddy?"

"I hate you _so_ much right now, _**Dad**_!" she seethed, clutching the cup.

Keith smiled at his daughter, "Cups are in the first cabinet on the left, Logan, make yourself at home, and then you'll explain to me why I found you two here on my couch."

"We fell asleep," Veronica said.

"Yeah, I may not be sheriff in these parts anymore, but I can see that."

"Logan just dropped by," she hedged, glancing into the black depths of her coffee as though willing an answer to swim to the surface.

"Well you two aren't exactly friends lately, so would you care to make your third and final guess?"

"Yeah... well…"

Logan's gaze kept bouncing from Keith to Veronica and back. He honestly didn't know what to say, and above all, he didn't know what Veronica wanted him to say.

"At the party, there was this guy…" Veronica's voice trembled.

Keith saw Logan's jaw tighten, and he had the impression that Veronica's hand trembled a moment before Logan's covered hers, trying to seem casual.

Veronica spoke slowly, weighing every single word, "I saw him kissing another girl. Logan found me crying, and he helped me. And yesterday, he came by to see if I was okay. And," she waved her hand noncommittally toward the sofa, "We fell asleep."

"It wasn't Duncan, was it?"

"Dad…" She cleared her throat and moved her eyes away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"He's just a jerk. You deserve better; look what a wonderful father you have," he paused for a moment, affecting a goofy grin, "Come on, give Logan his coffee so he can leave. His parents will be worried."

"That would be a change," the boy muttered.

ooOOoo

Keith left them so he could shower and change. Even his lack of sleep didn't bother him much, and overall, it didn't kill his good mood. Four months ago, if he'd found Veronica sleeping, nestled up against a boy, he would have made perfectly good use of his service revolver. But not tonight. Even if Veronica never told him, he knew about the way the kids at school, and Echolls was first in line, had been treating her since Lilly's murder. Finding that Logan cared about her again gave Keith a little hope, hope that everything would, sooner or later, be fine. He could survive the false accusations against him, but letting Veronica grow up in a world that hated her was killing him. It was completely unfair.

ooOOoo

Logan was stunned. "I never guessed it could happen, but, seriously, Mars, I think I should learn how lie to _**my**_ parents from _**you**_! I mean…"

She cut him off, "I'm not proud, Logan."

"You should be. You didn't lie at all, you said only the truth. Not the whole truth, but you didn't lie to him! Everything you said was true!"

"I hate this!" she pointed out, closing her eyes.

He shrugged. "No matter if you hate it or not, you're good at it. You're a natural."

She knew he meant it as a compliment, but it was painful praise for her. She hated lying to her father about such an important subject. "Should I do everything differently?" she spat.

"Don't get mad at me, okay? It was a compliment."

Veronica poured him coffee and then turned from him. Again she felt overwhelmed by her feelings: dealing with her father and what happened to her, and with Logan, and how to act around him. Last night was nice, and he'd really helped her, in a different way than he had two nights ago, but similarly important to her. Was everything easier when she had to hate him? She felt her rage grow up again, except this time, she didn't know who she was mad at.

"Veronica?" He waited until she looked at him to go on. "It's gone. Whatever happened two nights ago, you can move on." Veronica's gaze froze him, as if she felt insulted, as if he was trying to minimize what happened to her. He realized that what he said came out of his mouth wrong. "I… I don't mean like that. What I meant is that you did it. You went through hell, and you made it."

"Very comforting," she replied coldly.

"I didn't mean to comfort you; I'm just trying to get you to see it for what it was."

"I think you should go," she said without looking at him.

He felt exactly the moment Veronica put her defenses back up. "I didn't finish my coffee."

"Then shut up, drink it, and then go." Her voice didn't tremble, but it was impossible to understand what she was thinking. However, to Logan's ears, she sounded like she felt lost.

"Can I come back later?"

Being distant was not working with him. So she had to change her strategy, she tried to reassure him, hoping that it would work. "Logan, my father is here. I'm not alone anymore."

"I know, but maybe… you want to…you know."

It was obvious he didn't want to leave at all.

"No, I _don't_ know. Look, thanks for what you did. I really appreciate everything. But we'll see each tomorrow, at school."

Her voice was really tired, so he didn't want to push her, but he needed to make her understand how much he cared. "You'll be fine?"

"I've been worse," She commented laconically.

"If you need something, _**anything**_, just call me, okay?" His voice was full of hope.

"I'll be fine."

"I have no doubt about that."

To Be continued.

PS. From the Johnny Deep dialog you can tell this fic was written a very long ago :p #JustSayin


	9. Chapter 9

**Again thanks to everyone who reviewed and especially to the not registed one or anonymous one because I couldn't answer personally!**

**Last but really not least to the amazing TracyBrooke who corrects everything I send her really quickly! **

**PS. I'm re-upload this to fix some grammar errors!**

**Chapter 9**

The day after, Veronica arrived at school early. She sat in her car, staring at her steering wheel for almost half an hour. When people started to arrive, she escaped into the school building, avoiding everyone. She went to her locker, took the books she needed for the morning; luckily for her, the classrooms were close to each other on her Monday morning schedule. She entered her first class before everyone else. She heard people whispering something about her, and she heard giggling. She avoided everyone's gaze.

She stayed in the class until everyone left, and she was the last one to enter her second classroom and the first one to exit. She did the same with her last lesson before the lunch break. She walked back to her locker when most of her classmates were already eating, and not many of them were in the corridor. She even tried to relax; after all, people whispering about her was nothing different from what had happened in the last two months. She looked at her locker; something was wrong with it. There were pictures stuck to it. Her heart leapt into her throat.

Her messenger bag fell from her shoulder to the floor with a muffled thump when she looked at the images. She moved as if she was in slow motion, her hands trembling when she opened the locker. She slid her books inside, closed the door, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, and then she removed the pictures deliberately, making sure they didn't tear. Then she lifted her bag from the floor and walked toward a safe place.

She didn't realize a sad, sympathetic gaze was watching her walk away.

ooOOoo

Meg approached the 09ers table with a sad expression on her face.

"Hey, Meg," Logan greeted, moving to the side so that she could sit. "What's up? You have a 'D' face. What's the subject?"

She shook her head. "It's not that. I just saw Veronica..."

Logan's eyes moved quickly toward the cheerleader's face, and Duncan brushed Meg's arms as to get her attention.

"Come on, what do you care?" Cole tried to say, but Duncan's voice covered him. "Is she okay?"

"Where was she?" Logan asked.

Madison's annoyed voice put in, "What do we care? She's Mars. Whatever is wrong, she deserves it for the way she treated the Casablancases. Dick doesn't seem the same anymore since the party! That bitch! And neither of them are at school today!"

Logan's face tensed while he stood slowly. "Don't even dare to speak about Veronica like that again. You don't know a thing about her. And by the way, the correct question is what did the Casablancases do to her?"

"Come on, guys, it's just Veronica Mars! Who cares?" Madison complained.

"I do." Logan's face was impassive.

"Me too," Duncan added.

"Yeah, I care too! She was our friend," Meg chimed in.

"She was not!" Madison blurted. "We were friends with Lilly; Veronica was just _there_."

Logan turned on Madison, throwing a withering gaze on her. "One thing is sure: Lilly loved Veronica. And that's saying a lot. I can assure you, she would have preferred moving into a convent with Veronica than having to spend a moment alone with _**you**_ at one of your parties."

Logan moved from the table, taking Meg by the arm without even registering Cole's protest, and he walked away. With a look, he called Duncan to join them.

Meg explained to them what she'd seen. "I was too far away, so I don't know what kind of pictures they were, but she was stunned. I know for sure she was crying."

"Did you see where she went?" Logan's eyes were frantic, and he seemed almost ready to panic.

Meg looked at Logan. His face has a concerned expression that looked almost painful. So the rumors were true: something bad happened at the party after she left. Something about Veronica and the Casablancases and Logan taking her away. However, this didn't seem the right moment to ask.

"We better find her, just to be sure she's fine," Duncan interjected, bringing Meg back to the problem at hand. "Should we split up?" he suggested.

"Yeah, that's faster," Logan agreed.

"I'll check the bathrooms," Meg proposed.

"I'll do the library, you take the labs," Duncan said, turning away.

Logan was momentarily glad to see his best friend doing something proactive. At least something seemed to shake the numbness Duncan constantly seemed covered by. Not taking much time to contemplate Duncan's motives, he, too, ran to find Veronica.

oOo

Veronica printed the web page she was reading.

"There you are!" Logan's relieved voice came from the doorway.

She glanced toward the door. He looked a little breathless, and his color was high under his tan. Even so, he was leaning casually on the door frame, taking up the space as though he owned it.

"So, studying hard for all your As?" Logan tried to lighten the atmosphere in the room, but it wasn't working. She didn't look back at him. She stood up from her chair, walked toward the printer and took her paper. Then, she went back to her seat and clicked to close the web browser without glancing at it.

"You lied to me," she blurted in a glacial tone.

"About what?" Logan didn't follow her at all. When had he lied to her?

"The party."

She was again full of the same cold rage he'd seen in her car two mornings earlier. And that was scaring him; he felt as though any dents in her armor he'd made were repaired, and he was, once more, the enemy.

"I don't know what you mean. I told you the truth." He didn't understand what happened. Did someone else do something to her that he didn't discover?

She opened her bag, without looking at him, and handled him a picture of her car. The white writing "_Abel,_ _it should've been HER_" on her back window stood out on the dark background color of the image.

_Oh that. Crap!_ "I'm sorry, I didn't think... I wanted to spare you," he tried to apologize.

"How much did you 'spare' " she added finger quotes around the word, emphasizing it with a sneer, "me? Is there anything else I need to know? Or will I see it on my locker tomorrow?"

All the hurt she felt was transformed in rage, and it took a second for him to recognize that she was doing exactly what he'd done after Lilly's death: trying to find someone to blame so that the pain could be overwhelmed by rage.

"I promise I told you everything." He paused a moment trying to change subject. "Look, come outside, eat something with me, just me and you…"

_**Withthe whole school looking? Yeah, that'sreally what I want.**_Instead of voicing her thoughts, she replied coldly, "No, I have to speak with Clemmons right now."

"Are you in trouble?" Logan tensed. **Why in the hell did Veronica have to see the vice principal?**

"I need to go." She moved past him toward the door.

"Veronica…" he tried to talk with her, to explain, but she refused to look at him, let alone listen.

"I'm late, sorry".

She rushed outside before he could stop her. Logan found himself staring at the empty space Veronica had just vacated and his rage swelled. Then he noticed that Veronica had left the computer she'd been using switched on, and the web page she'd been looking at was still on the active toolbar. He opened the iconized page.

**Pan**** High School** – **Neptune****, CA** – **Admission Form.**

Did she print the admission form? Did she want to change schools? He had to stop her.

He ran out of the room behind her, just in time to see her enter Clemmons' office.

oOo

"Hello? Um… Mr. Clemmons, can I bother you for just a sec? I'm sorry I didn't get announced, your secretary is already out for the lunch break, and…"

"Miss Mars, shouldn't _**you**_ be on lunch break, too?"

"Yeah, but I need to… I guess I sort of need you." She tried to smile, but her nervousness betrayed her.

"Well that's not something I hear often from a student." He smiled warmly, gesturing for her to sit. This girl never asked for help. So whatever it was, it must be serious.

Veronica gulped a breath before starting to talk. "I was wondering, since the principal is in the hospital for the next two weeks, could you sign my form?"

"Let's see this mysterious form." He gestured for it, stretching his hand toward the paper.

Veronica handed it to him, and Clemmons' face became serious.

"Miss Mars, can I ask you why you want to be transferred to Pan High?"

"Personal reasons." She avoided his gaze.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I need your parents to ask me for a transfer."

"But Pan is closer to my new house than Neptune High." That sounded lame even to her, but she couldn't find anything else to say to explain what was happening.

"I don't believe you want to change schools just because you can sleep in three minutes longer in the morning."

Clemmons was watching her intensely: red eyes, pale face, tired expression. It wasn't the face of someone who wanted to change schools just because it was closer to home.

"Miss Mars, you know that NeptuneHigh School is one of the best public schools in town."

"Yes, sir."

"And you know you are one of best students here. You were able to keep up your grades even with… everything that happened."

_**I kept scoring As even after Lilly was killed. Great friend I am!**_

"Since the first day you came to this school, you made it clear that you wanted to go to Stanford. I know you still have two and half years before that, but I doubt that changing schools will help you reach your goal. "

"But I study and do my homework every day. Pan High can't be so different." She sounded desperate.

Clemmons shook his head. "Veronica, I'm speaking of school methods. You know that this school will give you enough preparation to be accepted in Stanford, and you know that scholarships are easier to win if you've had good preparation."

Veronica's gaze was unfocused, and dropped toward the floor. She knew Clemmons was making good points. Stay here, in hell or not go to Stanford. Slowly she stood and walked toward the door.

"Miss Mars? If your father asks me, I'll sign that. Otherwise, this conversation never happened."

Veronica gave him a half smile. Maybe Clemmons wasn't so bad, after all.

oOo

She'd only just stepped into the corridor when she was overwhelmed by the aroma of freshly cooked pizza.

"I thought you would want a slice," Logan said, his breath heavy and his chest heaving as though he'd just run somewhere.

"I'm not hungry," she breathed, ducking her head and trying to slip past him.

"Come on, you're way too short to be on _Top_ _Model_, so you needn't skip meals." His voice was gentle, playful, but still uncertain.

"Jeez, you never shut up, do you?" Veronica voice wasn't harsh, it sounded even more exhausted than it had been five minutes earlier. Her anger had subsided during her conversation with Clemmons, leaving her hopeless and deflated.

"Sometimes, but believe me, your chaste ears don't want to know all the dirty things my mind can come up with while I'm silent." Logan teased. It was the week before Lilly died since the last time that Logan had called her chaste. Until last October he'd always joked about her being 'naïve' and 'uncorrupted.' He used to say things, _everything_, with a mischievous and suggestive voice that made her blush.

"You're a perv."

He grinned widely. She'd just answered as she always had, just without the embarrassed laugh she usually used. "Yeah. That's why all you girls love me."

"Ego much?" Again she still had mixed feelings about how to react to him. She felt like she needed a friend. A friend willing to rescue her, not just from young rich maniacs, but from her loneliness. From the empty space she'd felt inside since Lilly was killed. And yet he was the one who lead the 09ers against her. And she didn't know what to do.

"Who me?" He faked a shocked expression. "I'm so modest, sometimes _I_ wonder how I can be so humble and yet _so_ charming."

Veronica shook her head, but the shadow of a smile colored her lips. Logan felt like he had won his mission. She was surrendering.

"So, what about spend the rest of break eating this pizza with me?" He tried to sound casual. **_Say yes, say yes, please, say yes!_ _I can't leave you alone, not when you have that_ _sad, defeated look_ _in your eyes. I don't think Lilly asked me to save you only for Friday night. She wants us to be friends again. Because we both need that._ **

"Do I have any alternative?" She was still pretending she didn't need him, but he knew she did. He could felt her loneliness in a way that almost hurt him too.

"Sure." He paused to think fast "You can sit and just watch _me_ eat the pizza, or _you_ can eat the pizza and I can watch. But, honestly, I don't much like the last one."

Veronica rolled her eyes, but this time, the smile was definitely there.

"I think we should share," he pressed. He looked at her, and he had a small hope she would agree. "Come on, Mars, this is free!"

"Free? I have to spend my time with _**you**_. I think it's expensive enough," she answered, a fake annoyed tone covering the real meaning. She needed to feel like a normal girl again, one who was going to eat with a friend, one who laughed and bantered and teased. She needed Logan's friendship back, even if her brain was screaming against it.

"Mars, you break my heart!" He paused a moment, turning toward the doors to lead her out onto the sunny patio. "Come on; Duncan and Meg are waiting for us."

She stopped abruptly. "I don't want to speak to him, not right now." Her voice trembled even though she tried to control it. Her eyes were pleading at Logan to not make her go around other people. She couldn't deal with anyone just now, and she hated feeling so weak.

"Why?"

Veronica simply shrugged, and Logan dropped the subject.

oOo

The news of Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls sitting together, alone, at the table she usually shared with nobody spread through the student population faster than the news of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's split. The 09er girls were the meanest, spreading a rumor that some sort of orgy happened during the party that must have been pretty disturbing, due to the Casablancas brothers' suspicious absence from school. And Veronica Mars must have been pretty good at whatever it was she did if even Logan was now spending his time with her.

The non-09ers were astonished. In the last two months, they'd seen the way every rich boy and girl threatened the daughter of the former sheriff without mercy even if everyone knew she'd just lost her best friend. Most people left her alone, because even speaking to her meant becoming an 09er's target as well. And also because the sad gaze that constantly darkened her face was almost unbearable.

But now for the first time in two months, her eyes were sparking, and she was laughing almost breathlessly at Logan Echolls' jokes, almost chocking on her pizza in her amusement.

Logan witnessed her change within a few minutes of sitting. She was so sad when they sat, obviously made self-conscious by people's stares and whispers, and by the pictures on her locker – things Logan promised himself he would take care of soon – plus her wanting to avoid Duncan. But then he tried his best, incredibly without any effort, to be funny and make her laugh. It was like a little hole in a dam: her laughter started slowly, drop by drop, and then suddenly it was flowing without restraint.


	10. Chapter 10

**Since this chapter is REALLY too short I'll post chapter 11 very soon! Oh and since People are asking, TRT will be 16 chapters.**

**I fixed some error, so I am re-uploading it. **

**Chapter 10**

_**Two weeks later – 22 December.**_

She smiled wider, blushing. Her free hand covered her face in embarrassment. "You're an idiot, Logan, do you know that?"

"Yeah, and you like it," he answered in a sexy voice from her phone.

"Like?" she repeated skeptically. "I barely deal with it!"

"You're not a good liar, Mars," he commented, amused.

"You wish!" She laughed harder, lying back against her bed pillows.

Logan paused for a moment, and even before he spoke Veronica felt a change in the phone conversation. There was something in the way he breathed deeply; it expressed an emotion Veronica wasn't able to understand.

"So, Mars, what are you doing for Christmas?" His voice now sounded like he was miles away.

"We'll have a party. My dad and me, just the two of us, movies and cartoons, tons and tons of food, and I'll probably even wear the elf's hat." She felt silly for adding the detail about her silly hat.

"It must be nice." His voice hit her; it tasted like sadness and something else she couldn't reach. And she realized he didn't notice that she hadn't mentioned her mother.

Even if in the last few weeks they'd shared a friendship deeper than before, they never really spoke much about what went on in the other's life. It was strange, because it was obvious they each cared, but they didn't trust each other to speak about their secrets, the painful ones. So for a moment, she wondered if she was allowed to push him further. "Logan, what's wrong?" she asked cautiously.

He took a moment before answering. "Nothing, just… nothing. I hate Christmas." He tried to minimize the seriousness of his statement, but his smile sounded fake even to him.

"What will _**you**_ do?" Veronica asked, trying to discover what could make his mood change so abruptly.

He breathed deeply again. "My parents are going to party in a very VIP way. I'm staying here. I hate Christmas," he repeated, his voice sounding sad.

Veronica closed her eyes, and she almost could see Logan's face. Almost before she could help it, she asked, "Do you want to come here instead?"

"I wish I could," he answered. He spoke in the same quiet tone that he'd had since she'd asked him about his plans, but Veronica could tell that he was smiling.

_**How can you hate Christmas?**_ Veronica's head was desperately trying to figure this out

Logan perceived her silence as an embarrassed one, so he went on to say casually, "See you later, Mars."

She nodded as if she could see her. Then she sat up in her bed, a resolute expression on her face. "What about using me?" she blurted, firmly slapping her free hand on her thigh with a noisy smack.

Logan was shocked. _**How could she even think that? How?After all they'ddone togetherin the last two weeks!**_ "What? What in the hell are you talking about? I'm not using you!" His voice was hurt and shocked.

"That's the point!" She was grinning, so he could hear her doing that. "I think you should, I mean with your parents… maybe you could tell your mom that I really want you to stay here!"

When he answered, his voice was barely a breath, but it gave her goose bumps. "And do you?"

She refused to answer the question; actually she refused the think about the answer that popped into her head. "I have to ask my dad, but I don't think he will disagree."

"You would really do that?"

He sounded so hopeful, she couldn't let him down. "I call you later okay? After I ask him."

"V'ronica?" He made her name roll on his tongue. From the way he pronounced her name, she thought he was going to make some sexual related joke, but his voice was hesitant when he spoke again. He sounded so uncertain that it shocked her. "Do you? Want me?"

Veronica's face flushed red, and she felt silly for blushing at Logan; that was something the old Veronica used to do. "I wouldn't ask you if I didn't," she breathed.

oOo

Logan barely heard her whispered reply, but he was unsure if Veronica really felt as embarrassed and shy as she sounded. Perhaps he was reading too much into her breathy answer, but he knew she felt something was wrong with him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have asked him to spend Christmas Eve with her. But still, her voice puzzled him. He was so confused that he remained silent for a long while, and then he realized she was still there, on the other end of the line. He could almost see her; he imagined she was nervously biting her lower lip.

"Thanks, V'ronica." He paused a moment before adding, "Goodnight."

oOo

Veronica was wearing her red and green elf hat and her light pink oven mitts. The apartment was a mess, with box after box overflowing with decorations scattered over every available surface and the kitchen still strewn with cookies ready to be baked.

"Dad? Are you going to help me?"

"Sorry, I have a cheating husband to catch tonight. I'll help you tomorrow, I promise."

"Liar. You're gonna eat all my gingerbread men tomorrow!"

"Of course not, honey," he paused to kiss her forehead. "I'll do that tonight."

"Don't you even dare!" she teased back, playfully slapping his arm.

"It's your fault, Veronica; you didn't bake enough cookies."

"You ate them all!" Behind her father, she noticed a shadow at the door.

"Moi?" her father replied, affecting an innocent disposition.

Veronica threw a glare at her father while she walked toward the door.

"Hey!" she greeted.

"I hadn't knocked yet!" Logan was stunned that she opened before he was actually ready to knock.

"I need help decorating and someone to keep my cookies safe. Do you volunteer?"

"That's what I'm here for"

"Really?"

"No, but this sounds better than the 'do I need to bring something tomorrow?' excuse I had in mind." He looked at her and laughed. "Nice hat, Mars! Weren't you supposed to wear it tomorrow?"

His voice contained no malice, but it was obvious he was teasing her. She was still facing Logan, looking for something to tell him, when without even turning, she growled, "Dad! The cookies!"

"Hey, do you want to leave your only dad without a snack on a long, cold, lonely stakeout?"

"Yes, if he's the same man who wants to eat everything before Christmas Eve."

Keith took one more cookie and gave it to Logan. Veronica threw the hat toward her father. He grinned and asked the younger man, "Taste it. Should I try to resist?"

Logan bit into the cookie and then looked toward Veronica. "Honestly? Resistance would be useless. I don't think I'll be able to help you to keep them safe; more likely, I'll eat the ones left by your father."

Veronica crossed her arms. "Then go home, Logan, and come back tomorrow or never."

He laughed, "I will help with the decorations, but don't I deserve an incentive?" Logan asked hopefully.

"What about a pat on your shoulder?"

"Cookies work better," Keith pointed out.

"I hate the _both_ of you," she groaned.

"See you later, hon." Keith walked through the door, but turned at the threshold. "Logan, save me some cookies and you'll be welcome tomorrow. Otherwise, don't ever dare to knock at my door again."

"I didn't knock this time, actually."

Keith pointed at him, grinning broadly. "That's the spirit!"

Veronica opened the fridge, taking out the cookie dough. "Again, I hate you both!"

oOo

Logan closed the door behind him and leaned against it, glancing around at the boxes standing open and the bare tree at the ready. "I'm not sure I did a good thing stopping by. It's holiday time; I'm not supposed to work."

"Don't even try it, buddy! You're gonna help me (gonna is slang for going to, so if you have gonna you don't have to add to)! And it's not like I'm going to use you as a slave…"

"Not even a sex slave?" he asked lasciviously.

Veronica raised her eyebrow, was he flirting? She shook the idea from her head. _That's not flirting, that's just_ _Logan__._ _Just being a maniac, no news there._

"I said no to slavery," she answered, trying to be cool.

"And the sex?" he proposed.

She blushed furiously, dropping her gaze down to her cookie dough. "Perv."

He laughed. "You have _no_ idea. "

"And I _so_ don't want to." She tried to change the subject, gesturing toward the cluttered counter. "Can you move this box under that table? I'll bake these, and then I have fifteen minutes to help you before the next round."

"You're serious about this Christmas stuff."

Veronica's face changed. "My mother always baked cookies for Christmas, with icing and all the rest. I'm not even half as good as she is."

"Isn't she coming back for Christmas?" he asked doubtfully.

Veronica shook her head to indicate the negative.

"Why?" _**Why wasn't perfect mom-Mars going to be back for Christmas?**_

"No idea." Veronica looked at him sadly, then she moved her eyes away. She really didn't want to deal with her mother leaving just now. It was painful, it wasn't right, and it wasn't fair. Christmas was supposed to be a family time. Why wasn't she coming back? Why had she left?

"Veronica." He paused looking for the right word. "What are you not telling me?"

Veronica didn't lift her gaze from the dough she was mixing. She was pretending she didn't hear the question, stirring the dough a little too quickly.

Logan moved toward her, stopped her hand and lifted her chin until he could see her eyes. "Veronica. Where is your mom?"

Tears burned, threatening their way out. Logan took away the bowl and let it rest on the counter; she used the moment to look away again.

"Veronica?" His voice was soft but resolute. He wasn't going to forget about the subject.

"I don't know, okay? She... just left. She said she couldn't bear this anymore. Actually, she didn't even _**say**_ anything, she left a note. I don't know where she is, I don't know why she left, I don't know if she is okay. I don't know when she will come back; it might be tomorrow, or the next week or the next year or never."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, stroking her hair, trying to move closer, uncertain if she would panic if he hugged her.

She moved away, putting the counter between them. "Like you needed any new material to hurt me with." Logan couldn't figure out if the emotion in her voice was rage or desperation.

"I am not going to hurt you," he whispered.

"But you were! For the last two months, everything has been a living hell. I could bear rumors about my 'sexual activity.' They were fake, and I knew it. But about my mother not loving me enough to stay? That's true. How was I supposed to live through people laughing about that?"

"We never…" he tried to apologize.

She cut across him vehemently, "You know you and the 09ers would have used this. And people will do it, as soon as they find out."

"No one will hurt you," he tried to reassure her.

"Yeah, sure."

The oven timer alarm chimed, and Veronica used the distraction to turn away.

She silently changed the shelf and set the alarm for the next fifteen minutes. She almost burned herself, but managed to come through the task unscathed. Then she turned toward Logan, trying hard to seem normal.

"Don't eat them while they are hot, or you'll spend your second night before Christmas sitting on a certain porcelain chair."

She gave him a quick look, checking to see if he understood her silent plea to change the subject.

All she saw was Logan watching her; Veronica didn't know whether he was waiting for her to explode at him again, or if he was trying to figure out how best to console her.

After a long beat, filled with tense silence, he finally said, "Okay, I get it; I'll wait 'til they cool off a bit before I eat them all."

Veronica smiled gratefully at him.

"Come on, this tree will not decorate itself!" he said, nodding toward the bare Christmas tree with a broad grin.


	11. Chapter 11

**This is my favorite chapter. I'm sorry if I'm so slow - especially in answering to the reviews because I'm rewriting the last chapter (chapter 16) since I'm not that happy with it. **

**Thanks to everyone who is reading this!**

**Chapter 11**

Logan smiled as he hung a decoupage mini-collage of Christmas cards on a branch high above her head. "My family has a different color theme for Christmas decorations every year. Last time, it was red, and this year we have a blue and gold one. Your tree is full of life, you even hang decorations you made yourself in school!"

"You say that as if it's a great thing. I was in preschool! Did you even notice how ugly some of these are?" Veronica laughed showing him a couple of them.

"That's the point! It doesn't have to be surgically perfect; Christmas shouldn't seem like a glamour picture from a stupid magazine. Yours is warm, and it feels like home. Mine feels like it freezes the room. It's cold. It's wrong. Can you understand that?" Logan tried to make her see his point.

Veronica nodded, handing him the star to hang from the topmost bough.

Logan shook his head. "It's yours, you should do it."

Veronica loved Christmas and decorating the tree. Her favorite part growing up was putting on the star. Her parents had always let her have the prestigious honor. Letting Logan do it, though, was special in its own way. She was happy and excited at the idea that she could share that special feeling with him. She could introduce him to a tradition that she had held close to her heart, but that his parents had never let him enjoy. "Since you've never decorated a Christmas tree, it's all yours. Besides, you're taller. It's more practical."

Logan looked her in the eye for a moment, a smile crossed his face. "Come here," and then he bent a little in front of her, wrapped his arms around her legs and lifted her easily so she could reach the top of the tree.

"Logan!" she gasped as she blushed, twin spots of embarrassment colored her cheeks

"Must suck to be short, huh?" Logan teased.

"I'm not short, I'm…" Veronica sounded offended, but she couldn't find the words to come to her defense, so she added a doubtful "petite."

"No, definitely short. Put this star on, Mars. I don't have all night!"

She stretched toward the tree and blushed even more when she looked down and realized that, from his position, Logan could see straight up her shirt. She saw the smirk that spread across his face when he knew he'd been caught admiring the view. As she continued her mission to top the tree, she tried not to think about Logan peeking under her shirt and the fact that he wasn't embarrassed or shy about doing it.

When she had finally stretched far enough to reach the top, she felt Logan's stance falter a bit. Her eyes got huge as she pictured them both crashing to the ground. She froze, giving him a chance to balance them again.

Logan eventually and regretfully tore his gaze away from his view and looked into her eyes. "Are you…" his throat had gone dry and he had to clear it. "Are you ok?"

His brow furrowed and Veronica could see his concern for her written all over his face. She nodded, and quickly focused her attention back on the tree. She'd been startled by the intense expression on his face and wasn't sure how to interpret it, also she was uncomfortable and shocked by her body's response to it or by the butterflies that had suddenly appeared in her stomach...or the heating of her skin...

Wordlessly, Logan lifted her toward the tree again. One arm was wrapped around her legs, holding them firmly against his chest. He placed his other hand on her bare stomach, balancing her while she stretched toward the tree.

She placed the star quickly, not even bothering to make sure it was straight. Veronica had to look at him again when she ended her task, catching him watching her with a smug sort of smile.

Veronica tried to fight her blush, and just when she thought she was winning her battle, she failed miserably when he put her down.

Logan didn't just set her back on her feet, he slid her down against his body. When her chest brushed dangerously close to his face she flushed. For a second, she was worried that Logan could hear her heart pounding furiously. She felt silly blushing this way with Logan. With Logan! The guy who had teased about her shyness since the first time he saw her, the one who made her turn red in the face ten minutes after they met, the one who laughed hard when she looked away, embarrassed, after seeing him and Lilly locked in one of their frequent public displays of affection.

"Blushing again, Mars?" he teased with a smirk.

"I hate you. You know that, don't you?" She eyed him with a pissed off gaze.

"With all your heart, I know, Mars." He laughed loudly. "Oh, come on, it was fun!"

Veronica bent her head to her side as if she was studying him. Upon ending her appraisal, she snapped, "You did that on purpose!"

"I promise, I did not. I didn't think about you flashing me when I proposed to help, but you did. And what can I say? I enjoyed it! I think I could change my mind about Christmas. Are we going to do that next year, too?"

"No way! I'll never…"

Logan was laughing again, and Veronica couldn't stop blushing even knowing he was enjoying every second of it.

"Come on, you loved my help! You've never felt so tall in your life."

With a fake bored expression, Veronica walked away from him. "Was that supposed to be funny?" Her answer made him laugh louder.

"You always _do_ this, V'ronica! You're blushing… In a blushing world championship, you'd be on top." He stopped with a theatrical pause. "Would you _**like to**_ be on top, Veronica?"

Veronica's eyes opened wide, and she was glad her back was to Logan because he would have laughed even more if he could see her shocked expression.

She knew two could play his game, so she turned toward him with her sexiest smirk, the one she learned from Lilly. "Oh, is that how it works in your dreams?"

Logan's reaction was not something she was expecting.

His facial expressions betrayed the emotions he was feeling. She saw his shock at her brazen reply turn into a look akin to lust and desire. She knew at that moment, that he actually was picturing her in that position. Him under her and her body pressed onto his. In an instant it was gone, and Logan Echolls was actually blushing. It was just a slight flush and could have easily been missed. Veronica had been watching him like a hawk, though, making it impossible for her to not see it. He was abashed at the thoughts of her that were flashing through his head and he knew that she could see what he was thinking. She was staring at him... studying him... dissecting his every thought and feeling. He had to look away from her before she saw straight into his soul.

She blushed even harder than she had earlier, her eyes sparkling with embarrassment danced across her face.

And then she froze, her eyes filled with emotions and pain, memories flooding her and she opened her mouth as if to let him in, but she couldn't force her voice to work.

Logan watched as a dark shadow of sadness appeared on Veronica's face. One minute she was laughing at his joke, the next he could see the tears shining in her eyes. He turned, ashamed of himself, looking for the TV remote just to move his gaze from Veronica's. "Mind if I turn the TV on?"

She removed herself to the kitchen to take care of her last cookies, making no reply.

"It's a good one. The tree I mean. We did a good job here." Logan began in an obvious effort to change the subject.

"Yeah… we… we did," she answered vaguely.

A tense silence prevailed, each trying to absorb themselves in their tasks, neither making eye contact.

After half an hour, Veronica sat on the couch near him, a little bit further away than usual, her chin resting on her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs in a completely 'closed' position.

oOo

Logan kicked himself for the jokes he made earlier. He feared that the equilibrium between them was now broken. How could he joke about sex when just a few minutes earlier, she had told him how all the gossip about her sex life hurt her? He was an idiot. He _felt_ like an idiot. He stared at the floor, his eyes sad. He didn't even notice that Veronica was staring at him intensely.

oOO

After a very long while, she brushed his arm. "Logan, are you okay?"

Still without look at her, he breathed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you earlier. All the jokes… I didn't mean… I promised I wouldn't hurt you, and yet I did. And I didn't even mean it."

He heard her smile, with a sad snort. "It felt strange, you know, joking with you… like that… about ***that***. I felt like I was betraying Lilly. Even if I knew it was just a joke. Because tonight I felt alive. I felt good. Even if everything is so messed up with my mom, and Lilly, and my dad not being sheriff anymore, I felt alive. I forgot everything. I'm sorry."

"For what, Veronica? You have nothing to be sorry about!"

"I'm afraid I have forgotten Lilly," she confessed in a whisper.

"No, you didn't. You just didn't think of her for a moment. It's called life, Veronica. We have to live, because it's our curse. She died, and now it's our charge to deal with that. And, no, you didn't forget her. You couldn't forget her, not even if you lose your memory. Not even if you _**wished**_ to forget her because it would lessen the pain you feel in your chest every time you think about her. Or when you see a picture where you two were happy. Or remember how you felt when she kissed you…"

He wasn't speaking anymore about Veronica, he was speaking about himself.

They had spoken briefly about Lilly the morning after that horrible night at Shelly's, but they never went back to the topic again. He always tried to be funny, and he covered his pain so well, sometimes Veronica pretended not to see it. He acted like a jackass and then her best friend. But they silently agreed to avoid speaking about her, or how they felt about the girl they loved and lost.

But now, clearly, all that pain couldn't be kept hidden, it was too late for him to be able to stop his emotions. He couldn't do that, not anymore.

Veronica moved, kneeling on the couch nearer to Logan, and stroked the back of his head.

oOo

He closed his eyes at the contact, as if her touch made it impossible to control himself. His eyes filled with tears, and he moved toward her hesitantly. His expression was so lost, as if he was alone in the world; he had a loneliness in his eyes that almost made Veronica break too.

She closed her arms around him, sweetly pulling him against her body, holding him in a tight embrace.

Logan wasn't able to fight his sobs anymore. "She's gone, Veronica… I… God, I can't do this… I… she's gone. Veronica. Gone!"

Logan clung to her, as if she was helping him to not drown in his own pain, in their pain. His grip was almost painful on Veronica's arms, but he didn't notice it, and Veronica didn't tell him. The only thing she felt like doing was hold him, caressing his head and back.

"I'm here, Logan… it's going to be okay." She didn't even believe what she was whispering to him. Tears were streaming down her face, she wished she could cry with him, like him, but he needed her to stay with him, for him, not sobbing as Logan was doing against her chest. She had to stay strong, for him.

She heard a key turn in the door. She raised one hand and her finger brushed her lips, asking for silence even before her father could see her. Logan didn't seem to notice anything.

Keith watched his daughter on the couch, tears on her face, Logan firmly clutched to her. He could hear the boy's sobs and his daughter whispering to him, but she was looking straight into her father's eyes in a silent plea. And all the man could do was give her a little nod and then soundlessly slip outside and close the door behind him.

oOo

Veronica couldn't tell how long they stayed like that, clinging desperately to each other, but she realized he was calming down when he sniffled and his breathing started to slow down.

Logan slowly moved his head, trying to meet Veronica's eyes and let up on his grip without letting her go.

She was staring at him, her eyes red from crying, her cheeks marked with tears, her gaze sad, and yet she was smiling at him. It was a shadow of a smile, but it was there, telling him it was okay that they cried, and it was okay that he broke in front of her.

"Good thing you didn't wear makeup, Mars, or you would be a mess right now," he tried to joke.

"Same for you, Logan." She smiled.

"Yeah, because you see makeup on me every day," Logan groused.

"I always thought the tan you always have couldn't be natural," she teased.

"I don't need make up to be gorgeous, Mars, I'm a natural beauty." His false bravado fought with the tears still wet on his face.

"A natural asshole," she laughed.

"Take it back!" Logan came back, sounding offended.

"No way!" Veronica giggled.

Their eyes met again; a moment before they were sobbing over their friend being brutally killed, and now they were staring at each other completely aware that they were trying to take care of each other's pain.

"Take it back, or I'll tickle you to death," he warned.

"The truth hurt, Echolls?" she mocked.

Logan shifted his hand behind Veronica's neck and eased her down onto the couch. "So, Mars, say it!"

She shook her head without losing the focus on his eyes, still giggling.

Logan noticed how alive her eyes were, and wearing his most mischievous face, he started to tickle her mercilessly. "Say it, Mars…"

"I can't breathe, Logan, stop it!" she demanded. Since she was laughing, her face a little flushed, her command didn't carry any vehemence.

"Say it, Mars, and you'll be free," he promised.

"Okay, okay! You're a naturally gorgeous… asshole!"

She tried to push him away, but Logan caught her arms and held them above her head.

"I don't know if that's enough," he admonished. They stared for a long moment. They both still had the tear tracks on their faces, and Logan wiped one from Veronica's. "Thanks, Mars, for letting me cry and not mocking me about that. And thanks for having me here tomorrow, you have no idea what that means to me. For letting me be back in your life. I'm not gonna spoil this, I want you to be my friend for a long, long time."

"Room to room in the hospice?"

"How about having a very young nurse that takes care of me in my house, and you live in the guest room?"

"So you're going to remain a pervert until you're ninety?" She teased softly as she caressed the trace of tears from his face.

"I was thinking about 108," he returned with a quick smile. "We should wash our faces before your father gets back. Who knows what he'll think? And I know for sure he still has that shotgun he never fails to mention."

"He likes you," she remarked, smiling widely. "I don't know why, but he likes you."

"You're lucky for having him."

"Well, he's not a movie star, but I wouldn't trade him for anyone in the world!"

"As I said, you're lucky."

"Logan, you… you and your father don't get on that well, do you?"

He smirked, his face losing the playfulness he had just a second before. "Don't get on well is a euphemism. But, really, I don't want to talk about that. Don't want to ruin my mood."

"We were crying just a minute ago!" she laughed. "The mood is not the best anyway."

"Look, I'm here, I have a cute girl under me, who just held me tight against her chest - a very _nice_ chest, I have to say, Mars."

"Logan!" she exclaimed, blushing violently.

Logan grinned at her and stood. "And I don't want to talk about my folks, so come here and we'll go to the bathroom." Without warning, he scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"LOGAN!" She couldn't avoid laughing, even as she struggled. "Put me down!"

She had to press against his back in order to raise her head. "This is unfair! You're taking advantage just because you're bigger than me!"

"If I wanted to take advantage, my hands wouldn't be around your knees," he teased, reaching up to tickle the hollow behind her knee.

She kicked both for the tickling and to discourage him from continuing any higher on her legs.

"LOGAN!"

He laughed. "Careful, Mars, there are some jewels down there I would prefer your feet don't play soccer with."

"Put me down!" she squealed.

"Nope, you have to be a good girl and wash your face."

"I hate you, you know?"

Then someone cleared his throat.

Veronica closed her eyes for a moment, cursing silently. "Dad… I didn't hear you come in."

"Mr. … Mr. Mars… Hi… I… um, I..." Logan stammered.

Keith stepped toward the counter and took a handful of cookies.

Logan carefully set Veronica on her feet. Her face had flushed a deep red, contrasting starkly with Logan's white one.

Keith looked on, a wry grin on his face. "So... you guys have fun?"

Logan looked at Veronica who was firmly avoiding his glance. Left on his own, he searched for an explanation that wouldn't get him shot. "No! Um, I mean..."

"Well, it doesn't seem that Logan loves your company, hon."

"We didn't… do anything wrong…" Veronica urged, hardly meeting her dad's eyes.

Keith turned his apprising glance back to Logan. "And wearing her like a scarf is not wrong?" he asked calmly.

"Yes. I mean no! I mean, I know how this looks, sir, but I…"

"As a father I _**prefer**_ that my daughter keep her feet on the ground at least during tomorrow's meal. You can't eat from Logan's shoulder, honey, not on Christmas Eve or I'll really be annoyed. Understood?"

Veronica felt Logan's hand holding hers, tightly, and she noticed his body was shielding hers from Keith, as if he was worried that things could become bad. She smiled. "Dad, is this an excuse to pretend to be mad and eat all the cookies without me complaining?"

He winked at her. "Darn, you caught me."


	12. Chapter 12

**Ok, news time! Chapter 16 (the final one) has been sent Beta and for me should be a wrap from the book 1! (unless beta says it sucks) **

**What can I say, thanks guys, Seriously!**

**Oh and should I say Marry Xmas? **

***** Chapter 12 *****

Keith sipped his glass of eggnog. "Are you nervous, honey?"

Veronica grimaced. "Not nervous… I just want this meal to be perfect. I think we deserve perfection."

"It will be fine," he reassured her.

"I don't want this being just fine… it's… I don't know, it's like I want to know we can have a great Christmas even if she isn't here." She didn't explicitly say she meant her mother, but she didn't have to."It's just us. We're a family, anyway."

"So, your being all jumpy about tonight has nothing to do with a certain boy who happens to be coming to spend the evening here?"

"Logan?" Veronica squeaked.

"Have you invited any other guys tonight?" he joked.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Veronica knew her father would prefer them to celebrate alone.

"Are **_you_** sure the two of you aren't hiding something?" came Keith's rejoinder.

"Something like what?"

"Like a dating thing," he answered casually.

"Dating Logan? No way! No… no, no, it can't happen. No, he's just a friend."

Keith had to restrain his laughter. Every 'no' sounded less decisive to him, as if Veronica _was_ thinking about dating Logan. Perhaps the lady doth protest too much?

He didn't know Logan very well, but Keith was pretty sure that the boy didn't let **_any_** friend hug him while he cried himself out like he did the night before. He's seen the guy at Lilly's burial. He had cried certainly, but they were silent tears that rolled down his cheeks and onto his collar. Tears that could be easily missed, if not wiped several time by his sleeve. As if even in that emotional state he was sort of forced, by the paparazzi's and reporters' presence, to contain his pain. The way he held Veronica during the funeral didn't seem like just a sweet and tentative young boy trying to comfort his best friend over the death of one of the people in the world they both loved most, but also as if Veronica's sobs were expressing the pain he had to hide. And Keith, last night, couldn't help noticing how that boy had never properly grieved over the death of his girlfriend before. The desperate way he clutched Veronica spoke of utter desperation, loss, and perhaps hope that the person witnessing those tears could save him. The former sheriff sometimes recognized the same look on people when Death had come close enough to touch the victims, as after serious incidents, abuses, violent crimes or war zone survivors. The way Logan sobbed in Veronica's arms was a whole universe away from the way a normal teenage boy should react.

But even though he knew that the young Echolls had a violent streak, and sometimes the kid really seemed to be looking for a good fist fight, Keith never suspected the boy of being able to kill Lilly. Not just because he was in Mexico at the time; he simply **_knew_** it. His cop's intuition was rarely wrong.

Keith considered that the young Echolls never apologized to him about the horrible things he said to Veronica when, as sheriff, he tried to go after the Kane family. Not that Keith was waiting on one, but still he knew how nasty things had been at school for Veronica. He knew Logan led the 09ers in their war against her; Mr. Clemmons phoned him more than once, without Veronica's knowledge, to tell Keith how hard things were at school.

But now the boy seemed to honestly want his daughter's friendship. And he still had sadness in his eyes, well covered by tons of masks. It was no wonder he was the son of actors - he made an art form of affecting a carefree facade, at once blending with his friends and ruling over them.

"Dad? Are you still here? I'm sorry I brought her up. I know… Mom," she pronounced the word with a whisper, "Isn't your favorite topic." Veronica was smiling uncertainly.

"Oh, come here!" he pulled Veronica into a strong hug. "I was just thinking. And I want you to be able to talk to me about anything. I don't want be a father to whom you can't tell everything. I'm here for you. Forever. "

Veronica's head screamed 'Shelly's party,' but she mumbled back, "Love you too, Dad."

"Who's your daddy?"

"I hate when you say that," she answered with a smile.

"Can I have something to eat while we wait?"

"No! It's not ready yet!"

"You just want to starve your old and hungry father to death," Keith complained.

"Twenty minutes is barely going to be the death of you." She dipped a ladle in her sauce and gave it to him to taste.

He smiled appreciatively, going in for one more spoonful. "You know, your cooking isn't always so good looking, but it has an amazing taste."

"Like my cakes?"

Logan's knocking interrupted them. When Veronica opened the door, he was staring at the floor.

"Hey!" She waved him in, but he simply nodded and remained on the patio. "Logan?" He raised his head slowly with an apologetic and embarrassed smile. "Oh my God! What did you do?"

His eye was blackening and several bruises marred his cheeks. "It looks worse than it is."

She grabbed him, and he stiffened in pain. Veronica, instantly softened her touch, trying to move the fabric from his arm.

"Yeah sure, I think it's at least as serious as it looks! Come in. We have to take care of this." She took his hand and carefully led him into the house.

"I… it was just a fight," he explained lamely.

"A fight on Christmas Eve?" Veronica saw him blushing, and his eyes saddened. "Santa will not be pleased," she added to smooth it.

Keith moved closer, giving Logan a professional once-over. It wasn't just the more recent marks he noticed, but a couple of circular scars that puckered the skin on his neck; he'd seen something similar more than once during his time with the force. And it fit too well with some of Logan's behavior he never understood before. "Who did this to you, son?"

Logan tensed. "It's just a fight."

The older man pressed, "Was it at least for a good reason?"

"It was about a woman, and I was not the one in the wrong." Logan explained cryptically, his jaw tensing almost imperceptibly.

"Logan, who did this to you? Did the other guy have a ten-ton truck? Because you look like you've been hit by one." She tried to avoid sounding as worried as she was, but her eyes and her voice were betraying her feelings.

"Look, Veronica, can we not talk about this? I fought for something I know is right. End of story." He sounded exhausted.

"Did you already put something on it?" she asked carefully.

He shrugged. "I showered. Just forget about it."

Veronica looked at her father, and he moved toward the freezer, putting some ice into a clean towel.

"Keep this on your eye," he ordered. "Veronica, get the first aid kit from the bathroom, and Logan you should take your shirt off." Keith saw the boy pale, his eyes opened wide and he slowly shook his head. "Veronica? Go now."

She nodded and hurried away.

"Why do I suspect that under your shirt will be worse than on your face?" Keith asked quietly, leading Logan to the sofa.

Logan's eyes opened wide. "Maybe I should go," he breathed.

"How long have you known my daughter, Logan?" Keith asked him vaguely.

"Four years, sir." Logan wasn't able to sustain the former sheriff's gaze.

Then with a calm voice, Keith added, "Maybe you're right."

Logan looked toward Mr. Mars and slowly back toward the door. Was he kicking him out?

And Keith understood Logan's confusion. "You're right to think I was a worse sheriff than I thought I was. You've been hanging out with my only child for four years, and I never realized what was going on with you and… your father?" Keith guessed. No way Lynn Echolls could do such damage to her son.

"How…" Logan was shocked, no one ever guessed so easily, not even the doctors who treated him after some too violent accident.

"I was a bad sheriff in some ways, but I still was a good one. How long has this been going on?"

"I was five, the first time." Then Logan added in a whisper, "It's getting worse as I get older."

"Your friends?"

"Lily knew. I don't think the others do. Nor Veronica."

oOo

Veronica walked back in the room, a sorry expression on her face. "Dad, I looked for it everywhere. I couldn't find it."

Keith touched his head, smiling as if he suddenly realized something. "Right! Where is my head tonight?! I moved it!" He opened the cabinet under the sink and extracted the first aid kit. "Come with me, Logan."

The boy followed him silently.

"Dad, what's going on?" Veronica asked, her voice unsure and worried.

"Veronica, can you finish setting the table? I'm very hungry just now."

"Dad?"

"Everything's okay, but I'm not letting a teenage boy strip in front my innocent little girl - not even on Christmas Eve."

Veronica saw Logan exhale with relief, and she nodded. She knew it was better. Keith was probably trying to force Logan to tell him who he'd fought with. Whoever it was sounded dangerous; Logan's bruises were really bad. Even worse than she remembered from his other fights. She wondered again if he fought with that Weevil.

ooOOoo

Veronica set the table, lit some Christmas-shaped candles, and waited. Not patiently, but still, that was all she could do.

She stood when her father moved out of the bathroom, but she was shocked to see him enter her room instead of coming back to the kitchen. When he exited her room, he had something hidden in his hand, and again, he vanished in the bathroom with Logan, shutting the door behind him.

Even the dog moved close to the door, scratching it and whimpering. "Backup, leave them alone!" But the dog didn't move. "Come here!" She walked toward the door, and then she understood what was bothering the dog: from the other side of the door, she could hear something between painful pained moans and muffled sobs. Whatever was happening in that room seemed much too intense to be the result of a single street fight.

Veronica felt her stomach tighten as she walked away from the door. She didn't have to be a P.I. to understand something was definitely wrong. She realized she was trembling when she poured a glass of water.

When Keith left the bathroom a while later, he avoided her gaze. "So can we sit at the table?"

"Is Logan okay?"

"Give him five minutes."

Veronica looked at the closed door and then at her father. He was hurt and mad. She could feel his rage. She moved closer, her hand brushing his arm. Keith turned and with a sudden gesture took his daughter into a tight embrace. Maybe too tight.

"Dad?"

"I love you. You know that, don't you?"

She nodded against his chest, overcome by his unexpected show of emotion, However, she was having trouble breathing, so she squeaked, "Dad? Air!"

He smiled down at her, releasing his grip a bit. "You don't need that."

"My science teacher isn't so sure." She took her time before stepping away from him.

She didn't hear Logan approach. "So… Veronica, are you ready to kill me with your questionable cooking skills?"

She set herself free from her father's grip and moved toward her friend.

He had an unreadable expression on his face, but he forced a smile when he realized she was studying him. His eyes were red-rimmed, as if he'd been crying.

"Are you okay?"

Logan saw Veronica bite her lower lip almost painfully, and he knew she was worried. Keith hadn't told her anything and still, she was worried. He glanced at Keith, then back to Veronica, flashing her a genuine and honest smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. Ready to party. You?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Guys thanks thesongmaker **** for nagging me, the chapter was supposed to be out in a couple of days!**

**Chapter 13**

Dinner was fun; Logan and Keith bonded more than Veronica could imagine, the initial awkwardness quickly evaporated leaving space for actual fun. All of them laughed and shared jokes. Keith regaled Logan with some funny story about his days as sheriff and with a lot of embarrassing anecdotes from Veronica's childhood, and she entertained her friend with unbelievable shades of blushes and laughter. She was glowing, and he enjoyed the show.

Logan offered to walk Backup while Veronica did the chores. When he came back half an hour later he had two big bags beside the pit bull.

"I thought you were running away with my dog!"

"That's only because he's the slowest dog ever," he teased.

"Hey! My dog is the best one ever!"

"Sure, the best one in a backwards race." He grinned at her.

"Guys, play nice," Keith warned.

Veronica eyed the two bags. "So what's in the bags?"

"A bomb," he joked.

"Cool, I always wanted one! Dad, can I use the bomb at school?" Veronica came back gleefully.

"Not during your lessons; it could be distracting."

"Oh," she pouted.

"How long are you going to go on like this?" Logan asked, watching her with a superior expression.

She smiled broadly. "Until I get bored."

"Damn!" Keith groaned. Logan looked at him curiously, so Keith went on to explain, "We're doomed, Echolls, you'll see later." He paused a moment. "So presents time?"

Veronica arched an eyebrow. "And your strict Christmas morning rule?" For her whole life, she'd always had to wait for the morning to open her presents. This sounded like a new tradition she could like.

"Some rules are made to be broken," Keith said casually.

"My curfew?" Veronica asked hopefully.

"Not that one."

She shrugged "It was worth a try."

Logan looked at them again. The way they joked, the constant love they shared, it was something he never saw. Surely not in his house. Not at Lilly's either. Not…ever. It was like being safe. And it was not a feeling he was used to. So he moved away, extracting the boxes from the bags and putting them under the tree.

Keith gave a wrapped gift to Logan.

"Mr. Mars… you shouldn't..."

"Open it!"

Logan unwrapped his present. It was the latest _Grand Theft Auto_. He laughed, "Thanks, Mr. Mars!"

"Veronica chose this. I'm sure it's a very...educational game. By the way, you can change it."

"No, no… I wanted this! Dick destroyed it last time we played it."

Logan gave his present to Keith. It was a flat box. Veronica saw her father pale after he unwrapped it. "Dad?"

Keith moved his eyes from the contents of the box to Logan's face. "This isn't a real one, is it?"

"Really real," Logan confirmed with a small smile.

"I… this is…oh my God, I can't believe it."

Keith reverently extracted a signed baseball ball from the tissue paper. "It's really Cook's? Can I adopt you, son?"

Logan laughed softly. "I almost wish you could."

Keith moved toward his daughter. "Honey," he began mock seriously and showing her his present, "If you want to marry this boy, you have my blessing." Veronica's shock made him laugh.

Then Veronica gave her present to her father, a little nervously. She'd saved every cent since her birthday, and then after Lilly's death and her mother leaving, she made a point to give her father the present he wanted.

"Oh, God, Veronica, you shouldn't have! How did you do this? Sharks season tickets? How did you do it?"

She blushed violently. "I saved a lot. I'd hoped mom could help me, but since she is not around…"

"You shouldn't have," he remarked quietly. He looked from his gift back to her with a bright smile. "But, honey, you'll be always my favorite daughter."

"I am the only one, Dad."

"Details."

oOo

Logan was moved. Veronica gave him a tiny box full of copies of all the tapes and pictures she had of Lilly. The Fab Four in happier days.

"I wanted to buy something good, but I..."

"This is the sweetest present ever, Veronica. Thanks!" He held her tightly for maybe a beat too long for it to be a friendly embrace.

"Okay, Veronica, your turn!" Keith glanced at Logan. "You see, she always wants to be the last one." Keith put his box on Veronica's lap. "So this is my present! Be careful with it."

She looked the box, sniffed it suspiciously, and with fake enjoyment, she burst out with, "A pony?"

"Open it."

She unwrapped the present, then looked at him, and after carefully laying her new laptop on the table, she ran into her father's hug. "You're the best father ever, Dad! We couldn't afford this! You know that!"

"Things are better in the PI biz, so I was thinking that if you want, instead of looking for a job as you said yesterday, you could help me at the office, as a secretary and stuff like that. I consider it a business expense."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Keith confirmed.

"So not only do I get a wonderful laptop, I also have a job?"

"That's what I was thinking." Her father smiled.

"A paid one?"

Keith laughed loudly, "Yeah, of course."

"Love you, Dad!" Veronica hugged him tightly.

Keith glanced at Logan: he was watching them with sadness in his eyes, even if he was smiling.

Logan let her calm a moment before speaking. "This is mine, Veronica." He held a box out to her, a big red bow with a gold band at the top of it. "I know you wanted this very badly."

"I want this one?" She was doubtful.

"Yeah."

"Any other clue?"

Logan looked at Keith, "She hasn't even started to work for you yet, and she's already in her P.I. mode." He turned toward the girl again, "Just open it!"

Logan saw her smile while she removed the cover of the box.

"Oh, God. Oh, God…" She paled and her hands shook badly "I… Oh, God…"

"Veronica, what's inside?" Keith prompted.

"This is … oh my God… it's too much… it's wonderful! I can't… Oh my God!"

"Has my daughter's brain stuck on repeat? Can I at least see it?"

Veronica's hand shook when she extracted the latest digital reflex Nikon from the package.

"It was opened by the guys from the shop so they could charge the batteries. It's ready to be used"

She breathed deeply, and with tears in her eyes she breathed, "I can't accept this, Logan. It's too much."

"Don't even think about it; it's what you want! I watched you drool on that shop window every time you walked in front of it. You want it!"

"I do want this! And you have no idea how much! But it's really too much! It cost a fortune."

"A sheriff daughter's fortune." He looked toward Keith, "No offense, sir." Then he looked again in Veronica's eyes. "But for a multibillionaire son of…two movie stars, it's really not that much. Believe me."

She looked at her father and then again at Logan. "Can I really… keep this?"

"Veronica, it's not a puppy, it's a present. Of course you can keep it." Logan looked at her, and she seemed younger than sixteen. He could see the little girl who played soccer, the girl who'd rolled her eyes at his bad jokes and pretended not to laugh when he tried. And again since the day he rescued her from Beaver, he wondered how people could even think about hurting her.

She had tears of joy shining in her eyes "Oh, Logan, thanks! Thank you! Thank you!" She jumped toward him, hugging him tightly.

He groaned in pain. And she released him. "Sorry, I didn't think about your arm. I'm sorry." An anguished expression twisted her features.

He needed a long moment to recover before he could reassure her. "It's okay, Veronica. I'm fine. I'm happy you liked it" His gaze saddened on his now-pale face. "I think it's time for me to go home."

"It's already that late?" she asked, confused.

"It's past midnight." A sad smile crossed his face.

"But it's Christmas!" Veronica complained.

"I know, but my parents want me home before the end of their party. Lucky me." He walked toward the door, holding Veronica's hand.

Keith cleared his voice before speaking. "If you want to, you can stay. I'm pretty sure Veronica won't mind lending you her bed for one night."

Logan looked at him hopefully, "I wish I could stay; I really wish, but…"

Keith shook his head and walked toward the phone; he looked up something in the telephone book and dialed a number. "Let me handle this."

Veronica looked back and forth between her father and Logan. She felt her stomach twist and she didn't even know why.

"May I speak with Mr. Echolls, please? It's Keith Mars, and it's quite urgent and very personal. Yeah, he knows me."

"Mr. Mars, this is dangerous," Logan whispered pleadingly.

Keith put his finger on his mouth to silence him. "Aaron? Merry Christmas. Look, it seems we have a problem here."

Logan moaned, and Veronica, looking at him, saw fear in his eyes and felt his hand trembling in hers. The puzzle in her head started to finally take shape - a shape she refused to believe.

"Yeah, it's Logan. He's here, and, poor thing, he's so sick, he's been throwing up for almost two hours, so I hope you don't mind if I keep him here for the night. I know you have a party at your place, but I don't think he would be a good show," Keith paused and forced a laugh. "Even if he's so green in the face, he could be the newest Grinch." He paused and grinned at Logan while Aaron spoke on the other end of the line. Keith went on to say, "No, no worries, it's not a problem at all. I know you'd do the same for Veronica in a similar situation. It's a parents' thing, I guess. I'll drive him home myself tomorrow, so the driver won't be needed. No, no, I think it's just a flu; Veronica seems a little green too, so I think it must be a bug or something like that. Really, it's not a problem at all. Enjoy your party, and take care of your guests. Wish Lynn a Merry Christmas too. I gotta go… he's running toward the bathroom again, and Veronica seems panicked. See you soon."

Logan raised his head from the floor as soon Keith walked to him. "Logan, I gave you a night to think what we talked about earlier. Sleep on it. Like I said, there is always a solution. We'll help you."

Veronica was shocked; first all the secrets between her father and Logan, then this…and then something occurred to Veronica's memory... when she spoke with Mrs. Echolls the morning after Shelly's party.

"It wasn't a fight with a PCHers, it was your father, he hit you," Veronica whispered.

"Veronica," Keith warned.

"It was not just your arm, right? I hugged you, but I didn't brush your arm, so it must be your back too, and it's not the first time, is it? That's why your mother told me she wasn't able to help you. Did he hit her too?" Her voice trembled, and tears filled her eyes.

"Veronica, stop." Keith forced Veronica to move away.

Logan stayed silent for a long moment then he tried to joke, "So my secret is out now."

oOo

They discussed a lot about where Logan should sleep. Veronica offered him her bed with Keith's consent, but Logan refused.

"Look, you're bigger than me; the couch is more than okay for me, and you need to rest."

"Oh come on, Veronica. I'm not the damsel in distress," he complained.

"But you're in pain! And I said it was okay for you sleep in my bed. It's not a big deal!"

"But… it's embarrassing"

"For God's sake!" she moved closer to him so that her father couldn't hear her whisper. "You saw me naked! _That_ was embarrassing! But you didn't care because it was for a greater good." She went back to her normal voice, continuing, "Your manhood won't be threatened by accepting help. Believe me! And it's not like I'll cover the room with shiny posters proclaiming, 'Logan Echolls slept here.'"

Logan looked at her and smiled. "You should."

"Gosh, with your ego, I wonder how your head can still go thought the door!" She laughed while she headed toward the bathroom.

oOo

Sleeping in a frilly girl's bed was strange, but without the girl was even more strange. Veronica's heady fragrance permeated the sheets, and he breathed deeply against the pillow, hugging it close.

He'd wasted two months of his life hating the Mars family, and they'd repaid him with nothing but kindness. He supposed he'd sort of earned Veronica's trust and friendship back after Shelly's party, and he'd had to work hard to earn it. But Mr. Mars…

A soft knock distracted him. "Come in," he called out. It felt strange having to let someone into a room in their own apartment. He looked at Veronica's face and half-smiled at the way she blushed when realized he wasn't wearing a shirt.

She moved her gaze away. "Sorry, I forgot my…" she caught the mirror's reflection of his back and faltered. Her eyes filled with tears, and her chin trembled.

"Don't, Veronica, please don't cry. You knew…"

Veronica dropped her gaze to the carpet, and her voice was a whisper when she spoke, "I'm sorry… sorry for not realizing what was happening before, when my father was the sheriff, sorry for not being a better friend earlier…"

"You're my best friend, you always were."

She shook her head. "But… if I… if..."

"Oh, come here."

When she was close enough, he caught her hands and pulled her toward him. Too afraid of hurting him, Veronica stayed still in his embrace, crying for her best friend.

oOo

When later Keith checked where his absent daughter was, he found her lying in the arms of a shirtless Logan.

Logan saw him enter, and before the former sheriff could ask anything, he answered, "She cried herself to sleep... for me…. no one **_ever_** cried for me before, not even Lily." Logan took a deep breath and blinked back tears.

"I'll take her to the couch," Keith whispered, moving closer, but Logan stopped him.

"Sir, I know this is not…If I promise I'll be a perfect gentleman, can she stay here? I really promise, sir, I won't…" he stopped, searching for the right words. "I won't take advantage."

Keith stared him for a very long moment. It wasn't lust that he saw in this kid's eyes; it was a need for comfort. The whole idea of what was going to happen the next morning was scaring him too, and he was supposed to be the adult.

"The door must be open the whole time," Keith acquiesced, backing away. He paused in the doorway and fixed Logan with his sternest face. "Logan, don't made me regret this."

"I won't, sir."

Logan called him 'sir' three times in less than five minutes. It must have been a record. And probably tonight, for the first time since they met, he hadn't used any ironic retort. He was serious, respectful.

"And, Logan, remember I have a shot gun and I'm not afraid to use it," he added casually.

"I'll remember." Logan smiled gratefully. "Thank you, sir."

Fourth time. Keith could get used to this.


	14. Chapter 14

**_This is reaaally short, but I'll upload the next one in a couple of days. _**

**_I really apologize because I didn't answer any review for the last 2 or 3 chapters. I'll do it, I promise! _**

**_I use this moment for thanking all the people who are not registered and I can't contact personally. _**

**_Oh I forgot! I reuploaded all the previous chapters, because the Amazing Jesterlady helped me too. So between her and TracyBrooke now I hope the fanfic is errors-free._**

**_***Chapter 14***_**

Veronica woke up, but when she tried to move something didn't allow her.

Slowly she opened her eyes and looked at the guy asleep next to her. She tensed and tried to move away. "Let me go, Logan" she whispered.

"Sleepy" he mumbled.

"Logan, we fell asleep! If my father sees us, we're going to wake up dead!" she whispered with urgency.

"We'll think about that tomorrow," he muttered.

"Logan!" She sounded exasperated.

Eventually he realized she was protesting too much to sleep. He opened his eyes, rising on his elbow with noticeable effort and probably pain.

"Your father said it was okay, I asked him," he explained.

"We can't sleep together; your back, I could hurt you. You need to rest," she tried to persuade him

"I need you to stay with me, just now," he confessed. "Because you let me believe I can do this, that I can be a good person, I can be someone that not everyone thinks it's okay if I'm in pain. You're making me believe I can survive what will come next."

"Logan," she whispered, her voice trembling with the huge impact his words had on her.

"Sleep with me, Veronica," he begged. "And your father already threatened me with the shotgun, so you're safe because I'll be the perfect gentleman."

"We're so doomed," she teased, and he playfully slapped her arm.

"Veronica." His voice was husky for all the emotions that were battling inside him.

"What?" she whispered looking right at his eyes.

"Can we try not to think? For tonight just you and me..." Veronica stayed silent, looking at him, and Logan moved to caress her cheek.

He could see her blush. "Logan?"

"I'm going to be a good guy tonight, Veronica, I promised. I'm not going to make you feel uncomfortable," he reassured her.

His voice made butterflies wake in her stomach; she couldn't find her voice so she simply nodded.

"Tomorrow I'll try, but tonight I promised," he joked, kissing her forehead.

"Logan…" she whispered but she had no words for him.

He looked down at her again. "Have you ever slept with any guy?"

Veronica blushed furiously, probably more than he ever saw before.

"I never… I never, you know... I thought you knew…" she blabbed.

"**_Slept_**_, _Veronica. I was just talking about just sleeping." He smiled kindly at her. "Gentleman, remember?"

"Oh, sorry. I… no… I never slept with any guy." She thought for a moment and amended, "I slept with you, on the couch, the night you slept here." She shifted a little, trying to not seem too embarrassed.

Logan's smile appeared hugely on his face. "So I'm your only just-sleep-buddy."

She laughed. "Yeah."

He thought a moment "How are the nightmares?"

She moved her gaze away. "Better," she lied.

His hand was playing with a lock of her hair. "Didn't they stop?"

She looked again toward him. "Not yet... but almost."

Again he bent to kiss her head. "You won't have any nightmares tonight," he promised.

She flashed him the sweetest smile he could ever remember seeing on her lips. "You're my knight in shining armor against nightmares."

"You can bet on it."

Her head rested again on their pillow, smiling sweetly.

"So, my damsel, can I hold you tighter? So the nightmares won't be able to kidnap you from me?" he asked, absently caressing her face again.

She smiled while he put her head against his body. "Ah, you're my hero… again…"

He liked the sound of that. He liked that they were pretending he was the one who was supposed to help her and not vice versa.

Veronica looked at him for a moment with a slightly embarrassed gaze. "Okay this doesn't sound good even when I think it, but I don't know where to put my hands." She showed him what she meant. "I can't hug your back; you're not healed yet and…"

Logan took her hand and let it rest on his very lower back.

Her eyes opened widely "I'm touching your…I can't!"

He smirked. "Okay, I admit it's not the most polite thing you can do with that little hand of yours, but I promise I won't complain about you touching my butt."

Veronica hid her face against his chest, blushing furiously.

"But, it's the only place on my back that didn't bleed tonight. Of course you can keep it where it was before, but I'm afraid that during the night you would meet some other part of my body I'm pretty sure you're not ready to meet." He gestured to his lower hips.

Logan laughed at her embarrassed sound, and she tried to move away, too humiliated to stay, but he held her.

He kissed her forehead again whispering against her skin "That wasn't very gentleman-like, sorry."

She nodded. What else could she say? **_Thanks, Logan, for giving me the most X-rated thoughts of my life? _**

**_God, he was Logan! He was Lilly's boyfriend._**

"You're my first too, my first just sleeping-girl, I mean." He felt Veronica smile against his chest. "It's strange. You feel, I don't know… warm… not in a hot way. I mean, in a hot way too, but since Lily died, I felt cold inside; you... with you, like this, I don't feel cold anymore. Did that make any sense to you?"

She nodded and then she slapped lightly against his arms, in a safe, undamaged spot. "You're making me cry again! I hate you!"

"Yeah… I hate you too" Logan whispered, kissing her head again. Then he held her, pulling her against his body, letting her sleep a little closer to his head. Now her head could rest against his neck. "Tomorrow I'm so going to woo you."

ooOOoo

The following morning, the former sheriff woke up, and went to check his daughter and - he assumed - her injured soon-to-be boyfriend first thing.

"Gentleman, my left foot," he muttered. Keith had to fight his fatherly instinct to not overreact at the way Logan's hand was resting possessively against Veronica's buttock, pulling her against him. One of his legs had found its way between Veronica's, and his face was hiding in her long hair. Veronica's face was buried against Logan's neck, her lips were brushing his naked skin, almost in a kiss. At least Veronica was still wearing her clothes. She hadn't even changed from the night before.

Keith couldn't help but take a picture with Veronica's new camera. With all that happened the night before, it lay completely forgotten on the small table in front of the couch. It seemed right to him that the first picture taken with this camera would be a symbol of how things can change for the better. One month ago, he would never have hoped that his daughter and her best friend would have another go at their friendship. Now he knew they were falling in love. It was obvious from the way Veronica held Logan when he cried on the couch and from the way the young boy held her last night, as if she was his last hope.

He let them slumber a little further, retreating to shower, dress, and start breakfast.

oOo

Smells of fresh coffee and hot bacon tickled Logan's nose. He moved slightly waking Veronica.

"Morning," she muttered against him.

Logan brushed her hair away from her face. "Morning to you, too." He smiled. "Your dad is awake."

"Yeah, I smell breakfast." She stirred, adding wryly, "That or he trained Backup very well. We should get up."

"Five minutes? Please?" His voice was uncertain.

Veronica moved to look at his face.

"Worried?"

He looked her for a long moment "Would you think less of me if I said I was scared?" His voice was doubtful, and so was his gaze.

"I think for a guy to admit to being scared is very brave." She couldn't take her eyes off him. Different from the night before, her finger moved across his skin, almost unconsciously.

Logan eyes shined with a grateful gaze. "I…"

Keith knocked at the open door. "Kids, breakfast is ready."

"We're coming." She tried to rise, but Logan held her tightly.

Veronica looked at him questioningly.

He breathed deeply before speaking. "However this is going to end, thanks." He watched her a moment before adding, "And whatever you do, stay away from my father; I don't think he will take this well, and he can be dangerous."

She shook her head. "He will not touch me."

"Veronica, I'm serious." He was holding her arm.

"I won't, and the next time I come to your place, I'll bring Backup with me."

"You're so not coming to my place," he said seriously.

"Why not?"

"Because while my father _is_ a bastard, he's not stupid. I don't want him to even suspect that you're involved"

She sat on the bed, without looking at her friend, and he had to let her go.

"I don't want you do this alone," she whispered.

"I'm not alone, Veronica, not anymore."

Veronica smiled, looking at him above her shoulder. "In the last two months, I missed you so much that it almost hurt. Lily was more a sister than a friend, but you… I missed you even more than I missed Duncan." She moved her gaze away and almost ran out the door. "Come on, Dad is waiting."

And she vanished into the hall before he could respond.


	15. Chapter 15

**As I promised... here the 15th chapter. Only one left! **

******Chapter 15******

Veronica felt Logan's hand tremble when she took it. She held it tightly and she caressed it with her other.

"My father will take care of this, Logan… you're gonna be fine,"She whispered while the car stopped in front the house.

"Okay, kids, wait here. It could be nasty. I'll call you after we'll talk." Keith reassured them.

"No, sir. I need to be there. I need to be part of this." Logan was looking straight into Keith's eyes. "I have to be. I don't want to be a victim anymore."

"I understand. It's your choice." He paused a moment. "Come on, let's go."

oOo

There was a moment of silence when Keith knocked at the door. He was tense, Logan was staring at the floor, and Veronica had her eyes closed.

"What in hell are you doing here on Christmas morning?!"

"We need to report a crime."

"Go to hell, Keith. And go to the police department for that."

"Believe me, Lamb, you don't want that."

"Let me guess, you want to accuse the Kanes again?"

"Actually, no."

"Actually, no? Which one do you want to take down this time? Casablancas? Pomroy? Enbom?" Lamb looked at Logan. "Echolls? Which one?"

"***Actually*** we're trying to report Echolls." Logan was the one who spoke. "And ***actually*** I'm the one who needs to report the crime."

"What? Someone stole your credit card?" Lamb mocked. "How can you even stand to be with the people who accused your girlfriend's father of killing her!"

"Well since you only solved the crime with an anonymous tip, I think you should shut up about that." Even Veronica was shocked when she did say that loudly.

"Out! Get off of my property!"

"Lamb, dammit can you at least try to listen!"

"No. Go to the police department and even there I'm not sure I'll listen to you."

"Oh, for God's sake! What's wrong with you! You've got your pretty shining star and you don't even know how to use it!" Veronica's anger spilled out, tears of rage were shining in her eyes

"Veronica…" her father tried to silence her.

"What do we have to wait for? For him to be dead like Lilly for the sheriff to listen? And then what? You can't take a clue if it isn't given to you anonymously? We have proof, we have everything you want… and you don't listen because it's us bringing it to you? Or is its because you're afraid you'll be fired like my father if you try to touch one of the powerful families of Neptune?"

"Veronica, stop." Keith's voice was harsh, even though he was talking to his daughter, but it was Logan's touch that made her stop.

"Come on, we tried." Logan's voice was so calm that it was almost scary, but his voice was smooth when he caressed Veronica's face. "We knew we had no chance. We knew it wouldn't be easy. And we knew how lousy Lamb is!"

"Another word and I'll sue you!"

"Kid, we're going to the department." Carefully Keith brushed Logan's back, with the lightest touch he could. Just to show him comfort, but Logan winched in pain.

"Sorry, Son." Keith apologized moving his hand quickly away. "Are you okay?"

Lamb noticed the wince and firmly grabbed Logan's arm a moment before he could answer and Logan cried out.

Keith screamed, "No!"

Before the sheriff could release his grip Veronica kicked him in his shinbone. "You're hurting him, stupid freak!"

Lamb released Logan and grabbed his leg. "You little bitch, I'm going to arrest you."

But both the Mars were focused on Logan, who was now as pale as a corpse. He seemed ready to faint. Keith was keeping him steady in a strange way. He was holding him with his shoulder on Logan's chest, one arm slipped under the his armpit without touching his back and with the other Keith held the other side.

"I've got you, Logan… Don't worry." The boy didn't speak. "I'm gonna help you sit down, okay? Slow… Careful."

"I think I'm gonna puke," he muttered.

"Just breathe, Logan…"

Probably for the first time in his whole life Lamb had the sensitivity to shut up for almost one minute.

His voice changed when he asked. "What's going on?"

Veronica whispered, "He needs help, please…"

"Come inside."

ooooOOOOoooo

Logan's voice was firm when he said, "I need to know if you're going to stop him. Or I'm not doing anything!"

"You what?" Veronica couldn't believe her own ears. "What… how can you even think that?"

"Veronica…"

"Don't Veronica me…"

Keith put his hand on Veronica's shoulder. "Just listen to him, honey."

She tried to say something but then nodded and looked at Logan again.

"If I do something - anything - my mother will pay the consequences. That and there's always the possibility

"Does your father hit your mother too?" It was the first compassionate expression Veronica had seen on Donald Lamb's face in very long time, and she didn't know why but that scared her even more.

Logan's hands vanished into his sleeve while he took the time to answer. "He did." He paused "But then I found that if I reacted a little bit, not much but enough, it made him angrier, but after he'd done with me, he'd be too tired to go at her. She… last time she tried to defend me he kicked her down of the stairs. She broke her arms. I was eleven."

"I remember that, it was covered quite a bit by the media." Lamb considered.

Logan chuckled. "Yeah, they said I left my skateboard too close to the stairs." He smirked ironically. "I didn't even have a skateboard, because my mom thought it was too dangerous."

"We need to go to the department, right now. We need to take pictures of the damage."

"We have already did that." Logan explained. "While they were still fresh. At Mr. Mars' apartment."

"Logan," Keith explained, "in a court they have the pictures will have more value if they were taken by a deputy sheriff, possibly with a doctor's opinion about them attached."

"If we go to the hospital my father will know. I tried that once. Let me just tell you, this is a bed of roses compared to that time."

"How did I miss that? Where was I?" Veronica held his hand.

"I don't know where you were. But I know where I went. I was sent to my Aunt Maureen. Of course I don't have an Aunt Maureen."

Veronica eyes grew wide. "Oh my god! You were there at least once a month."

"Not that often, and most of the time I didn't need to be out of view. Like yesterday. I could manage that. And he learned where to hit so people couldn't see the bruises." He brushed his face. "I was quite surprised yesterday when he went for my face. He usually targets less visible parts of my body"

"Long sleeves in August. How could I believe that 'it's trendy' crazy stuff? And the _Playstation_ obsession while Lilly & I were in the swimming pool," Veronica muttered.

"Chlorine burns like hell." He smiled, almost apologetically. Then he looked at Veronica whose eyes seemed ready to cry again. "Oh, come here." He grabbed her with his healthy hand and forced her against his chest "I'm gonna be fine, you know that, right?"

She sniffed a yes.

Keith looked at them with a smile, shaking his head, Lamb threw them a look full of disgust. "Young love… is there anything cornier? They're making me sick."

Veronica tensed and moved away, her face was a pretty shade of pink,

her eyes againopen wide. Logan blushed too but he had a grin on his lips.

"Come on, we should go!" Keith said to get them moving.

"His father is waiting for him at home." Veronica voice was unsure.

"He will go there later." Lamb's voice was firm.

"What?! He can't go back there!"

"We'll worry about that later." Keith tried to cut off the discussion.

"Dad! How can you even think of letting him go there?"

Logan's hand ran through his hair. He looked away, then stood up, and he started pacing back and forth.

Veronica followed him with her gaze.

"Logan, you have to understand why we need you to go back home and act as if everything is normal" Keith spoke slowly.

"Do you realize how hard this is for me? I thought it would end today." He whispered, looking the former sheriff in the eyes.

"They need proof." Veronica realized loudly. "They want to avoid the possibility of Aaron's lawyer making the jury think you did it on purpose."

"I what?"

"They will collect proof so that when they put him in jail no judge will let him out on bail."

"How do you know that?" Lamb was the first one who asked.

Veronica looked at him fiercely. "My father was a good Sheriff. He wouldn't risk any guy's life leaving him to live with his father knowing what he's capable of. My father did care about the victims." And her mind ran to all the lies people told about her father with Lilly's case. "He would do anything to catch the people who hurt them."

"Cut the act, Mars. Kane's murderer is in jail."

"Veronica, stop." Keith warned. The last thing he need was Veronica pissing off Lamb about her best friend death.

"I need fresh air." She stood up and walked out the door.

Minutes later Logan spots her sitting exactly where he sat almost one hour ago.

"Are you ok?" He caressed her hair, moving a lock away from her face.

"I want Lilly back! I hate this Christmas."

"I don't know." She looked at him with a gaze full of fire. "Oh come on, Veronica you know I miss her like the air I breathe! But today, and last night… It was the first time I felt I could be free. Safe. Since Lilly… I thought that that would be the way. One day I would wake up like her. Dead. That my father would lose control and hit me too much or in the wrong place and I had no idea how to survive that."

"Oh God, Logan…" She shuddered at the thought of Logan's fears.

Her look was so intense and sympathetic that he had to look away. "Veronica, could you step back?" He smiled.

"What?"

"Take-a-step-back?" he repeated slowly.

She did, her face was showing all the wonder she felt. "What? Why do I have to step back?"

Logan's hand raised her chin toward the roof of the porch. "Don't blame me, blame the mistletoe" she looked above her head.

Veronica smiled, she felt her heart almost explode into her chest, waiting for a kiss she knew was coming. She looked at Logan who was slowly moving toward her. She felt her lips tingling even before he brushed them. She felt unsure, for a moment she even thought of running away. She felt scared because of all the complex emotions she was feeling, and she thought about Lilly, and then she felt Logan's lips brushing tentatively against hers, and she wasn't able to think anymore.

oOo

It was the first time that Logan felt himself free to talk about the one thing that had scared him since he was a kid. She was there, her face showing all the empathy she felt. It was like she was feeling his own fear, his own pain. The way her voice trembled after he told her how scared he was that his father could kill him made his heart pump faster.

"Don't blame me…" he whispered, "blame the mistletoe." Logan let Veronica have the time to realize what he was going to do. He saw her face lighten with emotions. He could almost hear her heartbeat run faster than his own. And then their lips touched.

He hadn't kissed a girl like this since he was eleven. It was the most chaste kiss ever, and yet, it overwhelmed him.

When he opened his eyes to check her reaction, just at the moment she also opened her eyes, as if she was worried he was going to regret this, he realized that he wasn't the only one who was feeling it. He moved his hand to Veronica's face, caressing her cheek, and the other behind her back pushing her gently against him.

They kissed with growing passion and yet with tenderness. A perfect kiss.

And then she moaned his name. "Logan… please… stop."

oOo

Veronica felt him move away, his eyes filled with hurt. And she wanted to kick herself for making him misunderstand.

"I'm sorry… I thought you… Sorry…" He looked at the floor and then slowly stepped away.

"Logan." she called him but he didn't turn toward her, so she ran ahead him, stepping two steps above him, so that their eyes would be at the same level. "I didn't mean to stop you, I mean, I did but not like that…" she blabbed. "What I am trying to tell you is, if you didn't stop I wouldn't able to think anymore and I wanted to… needed to… " she whispered blushing "I couldn't think and I couldn't hug you, and I really wanted to hug you." Veronica moved her gaze for a moment and then forced herself to look straight into his eyes. "And I would hurt you, your arm and your back… I don't want to hurt you."

His eyes shone. "So you didn't stop the kiss because you wanted…" She smiled, covering her flushed face with her hands. "You really can't keep your hands off me, Mars?" She blushed but nodded. "I like this..."

She smiled hugely, finding her courage again. "I like this…" she echoed his words, giving him a butterfly kiss on his lips, and she moved away fast.


	16. Chapter 16

**_Last chapter... _**

**_***Chapter 16***_**

Logan thought that the hardest part would be telling the truth about his father during his visit to the police department, all the abuse and having to show the police the proof of them with the marks on his body. He was able to remember some of the doctors' names from when he was a child; people threatened or corrupted by Aaron in order to close their eyes to the strange wounds a little kid had on his body.

Veronica thought that the hardest part would be listening to all of Logan's revelations. She couldn't leave him alone. Then she thought the worst part was when Logan stopped and asked her politely to leave the room because it was too embarrassing for him to tell a humiliating memory in front of her. She smiled sadly at him, nodding, and he noticed she was trembling when she left him in the room with her father, the sheriff, and Logan's temporary lawyer, Cliff.

But later they realized that the hardest thing was having to go their separate ways in front of the gate of the Echolls' house.

"Don't cry, okay?" he whispered hiding his face in her hair. "I need you to be strong for me."

"I'm not crying." She sniffled.

"Yeah, I can see that…" He smiled. "See you tomorrow?"

"What if your… parents," Veronica avoided the word father, "don't let you go out?"

"We'll figure it out."

"Can I come to your place?" she pleaded.

"No," Logan answered firmly.

"With Backup..." she asked hesitantly.

"We already discussed this, Veronica."

"I know…" She smiled slightly. "But I already miss you…and…"

"God, you'll drive me crazy," Logan teased her. "We can chat or email or phone."

She nodded, and then Keith opened the car door. "I know it's hard, and I'm asking a lot of you two kids, but we have to do it. It's for the best."

They both nodded, with faces so sad that it almost made Keith smile. **_Kids, _**he thought, and then he added. "Okay, now, I will turn my back so you can kiss her goodbye. Don't get used to that. I don't like the idea much."

Logan smiled against her hair. "Thanks, sir."

It was a different kiss from the one before. This one tasted like pain and tears, even if they weren't crying. Then they heard the gate open, and Logan had to go. "Call me later, okay?"

As soon Logan entered his house, probably due to the tension of the last two days, he had to run into the bathroom to empty his stomach. Keith cringed with worry when Aaron apologized as he was heading out of the room to check on his son, leaving the former sheriff with Lynn. As soon as her husband followed their son, her smile seemed forced and Keith had no doubt as to why.

Aaron reached Logan before he could leave the bathroom. "I told you that you had to be back to say goodbye to our guests."

"I am sorry, dad," he apologized, his father's eyes scaring him.

"What? Do you think they care if you're sorry?" He gripped his son's arm, knowing perfectly well where it would hurt the most, exactly the same spot he had attacked the evening before.

Logan's free hand covered his mouth when his stomach twisted. Aaron hit him again, on his face, then pushed him hard against the toilet where Logan emptied his stomach again.

"Go to bed," Aaron ordered. "This year's flu is pretty bad."

Logan and Veronica would have been impressed by Keith Mars' talent as an actor. He met Logan's parents, joked and teased about the kids' flu, teasing lightly about Logan being embarrassed about being sick in front of Veronica, then asked about the party and almost gained an invite for the next year.

"How is Veronica?" Lynn asked.

"Oh, right now she's waiting in the car. You know how stubborn kids can be sometimes! I told her that with the flu she should be in bed… And she's just Veronica, she always says she's fine, but I know she's missing her mother so much. That's why I really thank you for letting Logan stay with us yesterday. She was so sad…" Not even an actor as good as Lynn could tell that the former sheriff was acting. Keith was proud of his skill.

"Logan told me yesterday, about Leanne, he was so sorry for Veronica. Can you tell her hi, from me, or maybe I could ask her if she wants to do something together. You know, maybe she needs to speak to a woman, and I don't think Logan would be happy if I brought him to the spa with us…"

"Yeah, I don't think he would be happy about it. I'll tell her, thanks for caring."

"I have always felt that Veronica has had a good influence on Logan." Lynn's eyes darkened with a shadow Keith wasn't able to give meaning to.

"Well, I don't know if it's my story to tell, but I think that from now on they will spent a lot of time together." Keith grinned conspiratorially.

"Good to know…" Lynn smiled back, her eyes finally smiling.

Aaron walked back from Logan's room. The way he was moving his hand, like it was a little sore, made Keith tense. He was worried for Logan, and he was sure that Aaron had already hit the boy again.

"That flu must be really nasty! Logan just got sick again, twice."

Keith had never been an Aaron fan, but with that bad acting he was witnessing the former sheriff really felt incompetent that he had not noticed anything when he could have done something to put this madman behind bars himself. "Told you. Strange he still had something in his stomach. I think I should go, Veronica is alone in the car, so…"

"Thanks for bringing Logan back home." Lynn murmured.

"No problem."

Veronica sensed that something was wrong the moment she saw her father walk out of the Echolls' door.

His steps were fast, and that made his light limp obvious. His face was dark, and he stayed silent most of the drive home.

"I think Aaron suspects. I think he hit Logan, even though he actually got sick the moment he entered the house," he said before they could get out of the car. "So next time you see him, you'll give Logan an untraceable phone. And you two can text about what's going on and tell him to delete every message sent and received. Not a word said aloud, not even in the car or our place, understood? Aaron has a lot of money; he can hire the best PI to investigate what we know and block us."

Veronica looked at her father with a smile. "No, he can't." She paused, waiting for her father to meet her gaze. "You're the best PI, Dad... and all his money can't buy you." She sadly smiled at him.

Keith caressed his daughter's head.

"Dad, are you sure about Lamb? Do you trust him?" she asked after a few seconds.

"Trust Lamb? Never. Trust Lamb with this? Yes. There is something I want you to know. But you have to promise me you won't tell anyone. Not even Logan, or Lamb." Veronica nodded. "The reason Lamb joined the force was he had a little sister. Their father hit them a lot. And one day he was more violent than usual. She was 13. She didn't survive the attack."

"Oh God, Dad! Do you think…"

"We're going to call Logan, right now. Do you think you can get him to understand not to speak about anything without a code?"

"Yeah, he's a smart one…"

Keith laughed at his daughter defending her boyfriend even to him. "I know he's smart. He fell for a Mars."

"Hey, Logan, how is the flu?" Veronica's voice was jubilant, too much even.

"Better," he mumbled.

"Glad to know that. I'm feeling better too. My stomach is back to normal again."

"Good to know that…" _Okay, this was weird. Why is she pretending?_ "So…do you need anything?"

"No, I just wanted to know how you are feeling." She breathed deeply, "and then to thank you. I was so sad with missing my mother yesterday…and you know I can't really tell my father, he would just get worried. And I wanted to tell you that I'm very grateful about what you said yesterday, you know when you weren't having to run to the bathroom…"

Logan only made a sound, as if he was still trying to figure out the reason for the phone call. "Mmm hmm."

"Thank you for telling me that if I feel needy, I can call you. 24/7. I know you would come to my rescue."

Logan understood; she was switching the parts. Everything she said that he told her was something she was actually telling him.

Then her voice changed a little less fake, more real. "I was thinking, what if we do homework together? I mean, as soon as you can."

He answered with a husky voice. "I would love it."

"Yeah, me too, but, Logan, you know how serious I am about homework... I mean…" Logan could tell she was blushing. "Not that I'd mind some extra interruptions…but I mean actual homework."

"So you want to make me become an all-As school boy?" He sounded like she had offended him.

"Well, if you want to…or I'd do the homework and you can just keep me company."

"V'ronica Mars." He made her name roll off the tip of his tongue, like he and Lilly used to do it. "Are you asking me out?"

"Actually I was asking you in…but, yeah... Out would be nice too," she whispered.

Then she heard a strange sound, as if someone had just put down the receiver. She opened her eyes wide. "Logan, are you still there?"

"Yes, why?"

"I'll tell you as soon we see each other."

"Veronica?"

"Everything is okay. I promise." She prayed that she wasn't lying to him and that everything would be fine.

She stayed silent for a long time after she ended the phone call. "Dad?"

"I think Logan and I were... I think someone was listening to what we were saying. He hung up when we became too... emmm, corny."

"Do you think it was Aaron?"

"I don't know. I didn't even hear anyone breathing. But I guess Logan understood that we couldn't talk, because I said only meaningless things that actually made sense for people who might be listening but not to him."

"Tomorrow you'll take the phone to him."

"Logan asked me not to. He doesn't want his father to know I'm involved. He's scared for me."

Keith smiled at the half proud and half moved voice Veronica used. "Well, this is an emergency. I think he would be more suspicious if it was me, Cliff, or Lamb. "

"I'll go. Dad?"

"What?"

"Do you think he hit Logan? I mean today?"

"He wasn't with Logan for long." Keith sat on the couch and gestured for Veronica to join him. "Veronica, I need you to be strong. You know, I'm proud of how you're dealing with all that has happened in the last three months. You have no idea how proud I am. I'm proud you're so mature and independent. I'm proud you were able to stand up to your school mates and yet never talk about how hard things have been for you."

"It's better now... and how do you know?"

"I'm the best PI in town." She smiled, snuggling against her father like she used to do when she was a little kid. "But I need you to try to be stronger than you ever were. Because now Logan will need your help. I'm not going to lie and tell you it's going to be easy. It will be hard and ugly. If Aaron did what he did..."

"What do you mean *IF*?! You saw Logan's back!" Veronica protested vehemently, trying to move away from her father.

"Veronica." Keith gently held her wrist, blocking her, he also tried to get her to be quiet, but she was unstoppable.

"How can you even think Logan invented all of this?!" Her eyes were glassy from the tears of rage she was trying to fight.

"I don't! Even Lamb doesn't and that says a lot! What I was trying to say is *IF* he was able to do what he did, it means that he's not going to go down easy. This will destroy Aaron completely. His life, his career, and his marriage. And I doubt Aaron will let it go easily. He will try to do what he's best at: hurting people. And by that I mean Logan, and probably Lynn too if she tries to defend her son."

"I think she will. Help Logan, I mean. When we spoke she was so sad about not helping Logan... I thought she meant after Lilly's death, but now... I'm not so sure. She will help us, I know she will."

"Well, you know I'll do everything I can to help him."

She hugged her father tightly. "I love you, daddy."

"You know what will happen? Most probably?"

Veronica shook her head.

"He will probably have to leave his house, at least until everything is over and he is safe again." Keith caressed his daughter's head, like he used to do when she was a little kid, telling her the scary part of fairytales.

"What? Why? Where he's going to go? And what about school?"

He smiled sadly, "He won't forget you. What you're helping him do is not something a guy like Logan will forget. Ever."

"But..." Veronica couldn't find anything to say, she wanted to find a reason to complain, a reason to persuade her father not to allow Logan to leave, but she couldn't. His safety was the priority. As Keith pointed out you cannot trust a father who doesn't hesitate to hit his son, especially when the boy was sick, not to do something drastic.

"First of all, until the trial is done I think Lamb will try to put him, and, hopefully Lynn, in protective custody. I think since Logan is a VIP, or better yet the son of two VIPs, he could be spotted too easily. And Aaron would definitely find him. I think Logan will try to refuse. Hiding isn't his style."

She nodded and her voice trembled when she answered her father. "I'll try to convince him to go. It's for the greater good, right?"

Keith kissed her head. "Yes. We all want him to be safe until he testifies. After that he won't need protection anymore."

The preparation of Logan's case against his father was a lot more complicated than what the two teenagers had feared.

They weren't able to spend any time alone together as they'd hoped. Logan had to speak several times with Lamb, to some doctors, and to his lawyer.

At the end of the second day, the adults involved decided to call Lynn. Veronica was sent to Mars Investigations to 'take care of the office.'

The third day, Keith started to teach her some very basic skills about searching and they found a couple of Logan's former nannies and tracked down some financial information on some doctors Logan or Lynn had visited through the years, and, in some cases, proof of bribery in order to keep them silent.

The fourth day, Veronica was already working alone on searches and making some calls.

The fifth day, Veronica wanted to cry: both her father and Logan were totally unreachable all day and her father didn't come back until she was fast asleep.

Even worse, her father woke her up the next morning with breakfast on the table and a guilty look on his face.

"Dad? What's happening?"

Keith moved closer, almost whispering. "There is no nice way to tell you, so…Logan will have to leave tomorrow, early in the morning. Lynn set everything up for both of them. During the New Year's Eve party, she and Logan will leave."

"For how long?" Veronica's voice trembled badly, tears streamed down her face.

"Long enough." Keith held his daughter for a long while, until her sobs subsided.

"I will miss him so much," she muttered.

"I know, honey. But he will be safe. He doesn't want to leave either. Can you try not to be sad today? For him? It would only make it harder for Logan. I know I'm asking a lot of you, but I also know you're strong."

ooooOOOOoooo

December 31st

Ring Ring.

"Mars Investigation." Veronica absently answered the phone, while she was cleaning a file cabinet in her father's office. It was only four days, and she already felt like she had found a place where she belonged. And since it was during the winter break she could stay there the whole day. She was learning fast, too fast according to Keith.

"I was wondering if you could help me." Veronica smiled at the voice. "I was looking for a girl, she's sort of MIA. We were supposed to meet five days ago. She has a new job that keeps her very busy… a '**_dangerous'_** one. Her boss is a scary person too."

Veronica's face brightened as she listened to Logan. "You can bet on that," she said, laughing.

"And, you know, I think she could have met someone, tall, hot, a bad boy. Did I mention hot? I know he always goes out looking for her."

Veronica laughed again, this time louder when Logan crossed the office threshold. She cut off the phone call and leaned against her desk smiling. "Oh, look, a bad boy! Should I call for help?"

"So, I am a bad boy now?" He grinned, walking toward her.

"Your words, not mine." She shrugged.

Veronica caressed his face; any sign of the bruises was almost completely vanished.

"You know," Logan's voice was hoarse, "My back is healed, my arm is pretty okay too, so…?"

Veronica blushed and smiled hugely. "Good to know." She stepped forward, towards him. "So, can I hug you?"

"You can do whatever you want." Logan was amazed. Veronica was clearly embarrassed by this, her pink face didn't hide that in any way, but still, she was bravely leaning toward him, fighting against her own instinct.

Their mouths brushed once, and they both smiled. And then Logan's arms moved around her, enclosing her in a firm hug, and pushing her against his chest, before kissing her again with the abandon that only a teenager can have.

As soon as the kiss ended Veronica leaned her forehead against his chest. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Her body tensed while her hands clung to him tightly.

Logan realized that Veronica was not just uncomfortable with the whole sex part, she was probably scared. Every step she was taking, she was forcing herself to do something that would somehow worry her.

"What's wrong, Veronica?" He caressed her head, kissing the top of it.

"Nothing. I'm glad you're here." She whispered, smiling, and yet stepping away. "I was just worried for you."

"When I arrived home on Christmas morning I was so nervous, I really felt sick. That helped, my father actually bought that lie." He spoke quietly, smiling at her, trying to be as reassuring as he could.

Veronica moved to the other side of her desk, moving folders in the drawers without really looking at what she was doing. "My father said Aaron hit you!" Her voice trembled and she didn't meet Logan's eyes.

"It was not that bad, this time. Like I said, seeing me throw up didn't make him willing to get too close."

Veronica nodded, but still didn't look at him.

When Logan walked toward her she moved again toward a metallic drawer, and when he tried again she walked behind the desk.

"Veronica, please. Talk to me? Did I do something wrong? Did I insult you without realizing it? You did want the kiss I gave you, right? I didn't force you, did I?" Logan was getting more and more frustrated. She hadn't acted this way since the day after Shelley's party. She was avoiding even looking at him.

"No! How can you… No, you didn't do anything wrong. It's… Oh, gosh. I can't…" Veronica was almost panicking because she couldn't explain what she was feeling as her mind was thinking so many things at the same time. It was so silly and yet so complicated.

Logan moved quickly next to her. "I'm getting worried! It's… You don't like me, not in this way?"

Veronica opened her eyes wide, shocked. "Of course I like you! It's…I'm scared and worried."

"You're scared of me?" Logan paled. "You're afraid I could become like my father?"

"Never! No! It's not you I'm afraid of. It's this, you and me, us. I'm afraid of losing control, like the other day at Lamb's and we… I feel so bad about this…" She looked him in the eyes. "Not about us... about being scared," she clarified, staring at him to assure him she was telling the truth. "But I don't know what to do. I'm… I lost Lilly, I lost Duncan, not that I am still in love with him," she quickly added. "Or that I probably ever was…but still, look at my parents, look at yours! Couples don't last, and they end up hating or avoiding or hurting each other. And I don't want to lose you. And I feel pathetic because I'm here, with you and I want to kiss you and hug you…"

Logan moved closer, his lips brushed hers. "I don't want to lose you either."

"And I know we have no time, because you'll leave tomorrow morning, but…I know I'm being selfish, but… I'm sorry."

Logan looked at her, the anguish in her eyes. He could see she was honestly worried both about his feelings and scared she could be hurt. He knew how hard it was for her. How the sudden break up with Duncan had hurt her. She was never comfortable speaking about how it scared her, but he knew how much she cared. He saw it in the way she acted with him, the way she looked at him when she didn't know he was looking. She wasn't Lilly. She didn't want to avoid the relationship because she wasn't interested, or was interested in other guys. She was avoiding it because she cared too much.

**_'You can either get mad at her when she obviously is not comfortable with the idea of starting a new relationship or you can try to understand and be decent enough not to pressure her, giving her the time she needs,'_** Logan told himself.

"Don't be. Don't be sorry for caring. One step at a time. Maybe a step back would do us good. It's probably what we both need." It was a white lie, he knew it. He was more than ready to take any steps she wanted. "I promise I won't kiss you again until you are ready for it."

oOo

Once the argument was settled and both of them were calmer, she felt more relaxed around him, and it was Logan's turn to become a little nervous.

Veronica looked at him. "Do you have to go back home already?"

"No, not yet, later, but I need to talk to you. About tonight. I know we are supposed to stay at your place, but the guys invited me to a New Year's Eve party, but if you don't want to go, I'm not going either."

"A party?" Veronica's voice trembled. For a moment she had a flashback of people licking salt from her body, and some lights from Shelly's party. She felt fear.

He saw panic in her face. "It's okay, Veronica… I don't have to go. It's not the end of the world. I'll call the guys…"

"No, it's your last night. You should go. You don't know how long you'll be away. And they are your friends, even if I don't like them."

"I know for sure Meg will be there. You like her, right?"

Veronica smiled, "Yeah, she's sweet."

Logan hugged her, kissing her head. "Don't think that I don't know what a huge sacrifice this is for you. I really appreciate it."

"Will you buy me a pony?"

"Sure, if you want one."

"Backup would eat him for breakfast." He kissed her head again. "So, what time should I pick you up?"

"Actually, I'll drive you there. So I have a ride home after you leave."

ooOOoo

Logan and Veronica didn't miss the looks they were receiving, the classic scandalized, _"Veronica Mars has somehow been able to force Logan Echolls to date her? That tramp!"_ look.

"We can go…" Logan whispered. "I don't care about the party."

Veronica held his hand, caressing it with her thumb. She smiled at him. "It's your last night here. I know you want to stay with your friends. I can survive for one night."

"Are you sure?"

Veronica laughed, "You're not the only sensitive one, Logan."

"I'm an idiot." He laughed.

"Why?"

"Because I promised you I wouldn't kiss you."

She grinned, "If you behave, I could kiss you myself."

"Ah, evil girl! Don't give a guy hope… if you're just teasing him."

"Drama queen." She released his hand moving away. "And who says I'm teasing?" She smirked.

They mostly stayed with just a few people. Logan's closest friends; the same guys they used to spend time with when Lilly was alive. Logan and Veronica stayed close to each other. He was the only one she took anything to drink from.

It was like they were suspended from reality. They laughed, they joked, and they had fun in and out of the house. Logan spent time with his friends. It was his way of saying goodbye to everyone. He realized that most people avoided speaking to Veronica and he also realized she didn't care. She was smiling at him, at everyone, not just with her face, but every time he looked at her, Veronica's eyes were smiling at him. And when Meg joined them the two girls chatted a lot, while Logan played videogames with the boys, but he kept checking on Veronica and making sure she was safe. For the first time in a long time he lost most of the games, but he didn't even care. Everything changed when the midnight countdown started.

"TEN…NINE…EIGHT[j2] …"

Her eyes saddened, almost teary.

"FIVE …FOUR…THREE..."

Logan held her hand almost painfully.

"TWO … ONE … HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

They smiled at each other, a sad but honest smile. "Happy New Year, V'ronica," He kissed her hands.

She rose on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Happy New Life, Logan," she whispered, her voice trembling.

"Veronica…"

"It's okay, I knew, and I know it's for your own good. I know. I'll miss you. But you'll be safe, and that's the most important thing."

"Can we go outside?" She nodded.

"One hour," she whispered.

"I wish you could come with us…"

She smiled, caressing his face. "Take pictures and write me a lot, and phone me with the untraceable phone we gave you."

Logan grinned. "Have you any idea how many times you have told me to use that 'untraceable phone?' "

"Sorry."

"Don't….you're cute when you're worried."

"I hate you."

"Yeah, I can see that."

She moved closer, her arms slipped around him, hugging him.

"Veronica, I know I promised, but would it be okay if I kissed you? You don't have to promise anything… When I get back we can start from the beginning, and you can forget we kissed and…"

"Logan, you're babbling…"

"I know, but…"

She grinned hugely, moving her hands from his back to his neck, standing on her tiptoes. "I never thought I'd say this, Logan, but you think too much." And she kissed his lips.

Again Logan wondered how it was possible that kissing Veronica could be both so passionate and still so chaste. He wondered how she could be so scared of a relationship and still kiss him like that.

"I should kidnap you; you're pocket sized. I should bring you with me…"

He bent his head to kiss her again and saw her close her eyes. "No…" she whispered. Logan froze. Didn't she want to be kissed? Did she think he was serious?

She took his face in her hands and kissed him with sweetness. "Not yet, we were supposed to have more time left!" Her voice trembled with pain.

Logan looked at herl she had tears in her eyes, so he looked behind his back and saw Lamb and the former sheriff Mars.

"Shit!" He tightened his hug and kissed her again. It was a salty kiss and neither of them knew to whom those tears belonged.

"I'll wait for you to be back," she breathed.

"I'll wait for you to be ready."

Logan kissed her again, his hand moved toward her face. Veronica's hands slipped under his shirt. Her nails scratched his skin in a vain attempt to hold him tighter.

"You're killing me, Veronica."

"Mmm?" Her gaze was blank, at the moment she was having problems breathing.

"You're so…warm and hot… you…"

They heard steps on the ground close to them.

Keith's voice was almost apologetic. "Logan, it's time to go."

"You're almost one hour early, we have one more hour!" The boy's arms tightened around Veronica's body as if he was never going to let her go.

"I'm sorry. Lamb's decision. But Lynn is going to leave in few minutes, and we don't want to risk Aaron trying to find Logan."

"Does he know about Lynn?" Veronica asked

"She'll leave him a letter. But we suspect he knows something is going on. That's why Sacs is already in front of your house. She is supposed to leave right now," Keith explained.

"Then it's time to go."

They silently walked toward the sheriff's car. "Jump in. I haven't got all night."

"Happy New Year to you too, Sheriff Lamb," was Logan's sarcastic reply.

He held Veronica's hand one last time before he had to go.

He was almost to the car when he turned back and quickly moved back, kissing Veronica.

"This is the last one, I promise." He kissed her desperately. "Don't forget me, okay? We'll start over as soon as I get back."

She nodded against his lips.

"Come on, Logan, in the car." It was Keith's voice that broke the spell. "I know this is difficult, but it's time to go."

Logan nodded slowly, moving toward the car, he held Veronica's hand as long as he could, before getting in the car.

"Logan, keep your head down. It's better if people don't see you."

"People here are so drunk that they wouldn't see me if I walked naked."

Lamb stared at him. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"Thanks. I just meant that it won't be a problem." He turned in his seat to stare at Veronica outside the car. She was standing close to his door. She also walked a couple of steps when the car started moving, following it.

He saw her muttering something. He planted his hand on the window, but the car was already too far away for her to touch it.

Veronica stared at the car until it vanished around a corner; tears were rolling down her face unnoticed. "I love you, Logan."

**END OF BOOK 1**

And that's it. I know it's a evil place to stop. But I'm already working on the sequel. I have to do a complete rewatch of the series since I'm bit rusty with that, but I have a whole plot line I want to solve and I have a lot of idea.  
There is always a killer to catch!

Thanks guys for you AWESOME response! It means really a lot to me! You best are the best! I'm totally overwhelmed by your kindness!

Thanks for everything!


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